'Killer' clowns: Scared children call West Midlands helpline 26 times in one week
A charity helpline in the West Midlands has been contacted 26 times in a single week by children worried about being attacked by killer clowns.
The figure is the highest in the UK.
Staff at Childline's Birmingham base, which covers the Black Country and Staffordshire, have been counselling youngsters scared by the trend which sees people dress up as clowns to frighten passers-by.
They received more calls than any of the charity's 1l bases.
Across the UK, Childline was contacted 120 times about clowns in the week October 5 to 11.
Sightings of people dressed as clowns have been reported in West Bromwich, Walsall and Kidderminster as craze, said to have been inspired by clown-related pranks in the US, spreads.
A 13-year-old is on police bail after donning a clown mask to allegedly assault another teenager in New Swan Lane, West Bromwich, while a photograph of clown reportedly lurking outside McDonald's in Kidderminster was posted on Facebook page Clown Sightings in the UK.
In Bloxwich, Walsall, a 22-year-old woman had to run away from a clown that chased her down the street.
Most recently, threatening comments were issued on the Facebook group called Killer Clown Alliance - Bilston.
The charity reports that children have also been targeted online, with one instance of a 13-year-old girl being messaged on Instagram by someone posing as a clown who threatened to cut her throat and rape her.
The NSPCC's Childline service is advising children to talk to a parent or trusted adult about their fears.
