CLOWN craze copycats in Teignbridge and the rest of Devon are in danger of saddling themselves with a criminal record if they execute scary antics seen elsewhere in the UK, police have warned.

They say the trend of terror from masked mischief-makers will not be tolerated on local streets.

And they have vowed to clamp down on the culprits before the frightening fad gets out of hand.

A senior Devon and Cornwall Police officer has issued a stark message to anyone thinking of donning the sinister circus act masks and trying to scare the life out of people, particularly children.

Chief Insp Cath Farrin described the worst elements of the dubious flavour-of-the-month shenanigans as ‘completely unacceptable.’

No reports of scary clowning have yet been logged in Teignbridge, although across the two counties it’s estimated there have been a dozen incidents of fancy dress oafs jumping on the ‘Boo! I’m a clown’ bandwagon.

At least one of the incidents is being pursued as a criminal matter.

Chief Insp Farrin said: ‘Many carry this out as a harmless prank, but unfortunately it appears there are occasions where people are trying to cause distress to children. We have even had unsubstantiated reports of one carrying a weapon.

‘This is completely unacceptable. Those taking part in these pranks must realise that their actions are causing distress to the public due to the intimidating and threatening nature of their actions.’

She promised: ‘We will investigate these reports - and we are taking this very seriously. We will arrest, and we will look to charge, those causing distress with public order offences - especially those who appear to be carrying a weapon of any kind.

‘I would like people to consider if such a prank is worth a criminal record. Those taking part are running the risk of arrest and a court appearance, and therefore could possibly lose their job.’

She added: ‘Those taking part in this “clown craze” also need to realise that they are also putting themselves at risk by intimidating people.

‘Not all members of the public will run away and you could find yourself confronted by a scared member of public.

‘We ask the public to report any suspicious activity to police. Our local neighbourhood teams are committed to stop this before it gets out of hand.’

Anyone witnessing such behaviour can ring police on 101. If in immediate danger, they should ring 999.