Two girls have been left shaken after they were threatened by a machete-wielding clown.

Two teenage girls were approached by a man dressed as a clown holding what was described as a machete in Durham Close, Bury St Edmunds, at around 6.25pm on Saturday, Suffolk Police said.

The man ran towards the pair saying he was going to harm them, and the girls then ran off in the direction of Severn Road.

Police said the girls were not injured but were very upset and shaken by the incident.

Officers including firearm and dog units arrived on the scene within five minutes of the report being made and scoured the streets, woodland and industrial estate for the offender, but nobody matching the description given was found, the force said.

It is the latest instance of the "killer clown" craze sweeping the UK & Australia which has led to a deluge of calls to Childline from youngsters left terrified by the sinister phenomenon.

 

A 10-year-old boy in Plymouth was threatened by a clown who jumped out of a bush carrying a hammer, while in Workington, Cumbria, a clown brandishing an axe chased an 11-year-old girl.

Children have also been targeted online, with a case in which a 13-year-old boy was arrested and bailed for malicious communications after a girl the same age in Kendal received Instagram messages from someone posing as a clown threatening to cut her throat and rape her.

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The bad news is THEY ARE BACK! and are doing the same thing they did back in 2016.

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If you see a clown please report it do not go near it!

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Call 000 or Crime Stoppers 1300 333 000