'KILLER clowns' have been spotted in Devizes and Royal Wootton Bassett as the craze which started in America has now begun to sweep Wiltshire.

A mum put a post on the Devizes Issue Facebook Page on Saturday saying: "Warning to all. My son and his friends popped to his mates house to get some sleep over stuff last night, it had just got dark.

"There were three men dressed as clowns with baseball bats hanging around Rotherstone, the boys ran home in terrible shock, luckily these clowns didn't catch up with them."

She said that police were contacted.

Two young women were walking home in the Cloatley Crescent area of Royal Wootton Bassett on Saturday when they were followed by someone dressed as a clown.

The individual is described as wearing white shorts, presumably with a clown mask on their face.

The 'killer clown' craze, which has seen individuals in costumes carrying out sinister pranks in the hope of terrifying adults and children, had previously been confined to the United States.

But in recent days it has made its way across the Atlantic to British towns and cities.

A statement posted to Facebook by the local neighbourhood policing team warned that while the issue may be amusing to some, there is also a very serious side to it.

They added: "Whilst the young ladies did the right thing and called the police as they were being followed, we would like to remind people who think this is funny, that it frightens members of the community.

"Also you could be committing criminal offences.

"Whilst we will respond to suspicious incidents, the police do not appreciate their time being wasted and anybody acting in this manner, will be dealt with accordingly."

At the weekend there were also a number of sightings of scary clowns in a number places in Swindon.

Late on Friday, the administrators of a Swindon Facebook group posted a grainy picture of what appeared to be two clowns following an apparent sighting in the Pinehurst area.

The post was shared almost 1,000 times in under 24 hours – users of the social media site have responded with everything from terror to bravado, some have even threatened to use violence against any clowns they see.

The first possible sighting in Swindon follows warnings from police forces around the country about incidents involving clowns.

The 'killer clown' craze, which has seen individuals in costumes carrying out sinister pranks in the hope of terrifying adults and children, had previously been confined to the United States.

But in recent days it has made its way across the Atlantic to British towns and cities.

Friday's alleged sighting in Pinehurst has since been followed by a number of further possible sightings.

A woman, who has not been named, took to Facebook on Saturday night to claim she had seen two people in clown costumes hiding in bushes near Rodbourne fields.

Another claimed that two young boys had been chased in Haydon End while there was a further alleged sighting near Windrush.

Anya Rose Carty said: “I saw a clown behind The Manor pub on Cheney Manor Road in the bushes down there.

Another, a concerned resident of Pinehurst, said her children were playing outside when they were warned by a man not to go to the park as four men dressed as clowns were lurking there.

The children were said to be terrified and struggling to sleep.

Further incidents have been reported in Cricklade, Redhouse and Freshbrook.

Around half a dozen Instagram accounts were set up over the weekend claiming to be Swindon and Wiltshire-based clown pranksters.

In neighbouring Thames Valley police area officers were called to 14 incidents in one day.

Police forces across the country have issued warnings about the potential consequences of the craze, which appears to have been inspired by clown-related pranks in the US.

Gloucestershire Police said it had received six reports of clown-related incidents, while South Wales Police has also attended numerous similar reports.

Chief Supt Andy Boyd, head of TVP’s neighbourhood policing, said: “While we do not want to be accused of stopping people enjoying themselves, we would also ask those same people to think of the impact of their behaviour on others and themselves."