Ghost hunter event for Clitheroe

There will be ghostly walks and attempts to communicate with spirits of the dead with Ouija boards and séances at the new Paranormal Evenings in the Rose and Crown Hotel.

Ghost hunter Frank Watson, who is also the manager of Clitheroe Market, will be running the event alongside local historian and ghost expert, Simon Entwistle.

The pair first approached bosses at Clitheroe Castle Museum to host the late-night event but said they were told they could not use the venue.

Mr Watson, 64, who lives in Clitheroe and runs the Haunting Experiences company, said: "I think they didn't feel very comfortable with it but the museum and the castle have a rich history which would have been very interesting to explore," he added.

Mr Watson, said that he had been interested in witchcraft for almost 20 years.

"Clitheroe has never been investigated by a paranormal group before so we are inviting people to be amongst the first to join us as we explore this amazing haunted hotel.

"We will start with a ghost walk up Pendle Hill and then return to the hotel where a medium will conduct a tour around the hotel. We will also be willing to have Ouija boards and séances if that is what our customers request," he said.

Michelle Harbord, owner of the hotel in Castle Street, said the event was being held due to popular demand.

She added: "We always have people coming in asking us about the Pendle Witches and paranormal activity so when we were approached by Simon and Frank we jumped at the chance to host the evenings."

A spokesperson for the Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: "We are quite happy for them to use Clitheroe castle for paranormal evenings but they have to go through the normal booking service through the Lancashire Museums Service.

"But they wanted to bypass this and hire out the whole venue during the night which is not appropriate and not part of the standard booking process."