Cumbria's “killer clown” craze is getting worse, with police now investigating nearly 40 incidents from the last few days – including 19 last night.

Police chiefs in the county have vowed to crack down on the bizarre new fad, in which victims – including small children – are chased or ambushed by strangers dressed in scary clown outfits and in some cases armed with sticks or fake knives.

There have now been so many frightening incidents involving clowns that the horror novelist Stephen King – whose evil clown Pennywise featured in his book It – has appealed for those involved to back off.

The eight incidents in Carlisle last night included:

  • 6pm: Moorville Drive, Lowry Hill. A nine-year-old girl being chased by a clown
  • 6.53pm: Norfolk Street, Denton Holme. Two people seen dressed as clowns prowling the streets carrying golf clubs
  • 7.15pm: Gang of youths dressed as clowns seen in Turnstone Park
  • 7.30pm: Richarmond Green, Carlisle. Four youths dressed as clowns seen chasing small children
  • 7.30pm: Youth dressed as clown seen wandering along Newtown Road with friends
  • 9.20pm: Prescott Road, Longsowerby. Worried residents report clown seen standing in the road
  • 9.34pm: Caller reports being stalked by a clown on Victoria Viaduct
  • 11.30pm: clown seen prowling up and down the road

There were also clown incidents in Kendal, Barrow, Cleator Moor, Whitehaven and Stainburn in Workington.

The incidents last night come after 17 similar ones over the weekend – including one report that a clown was seen brandishing a knife. The chilling craze has swept across the country, with police called out scores of times after complaints from victims.

The weekend incidents included one at Hammond's Pond while in Workington a small child was left traumatised after being approached by a clown armed with a stick. In the worst incident, in south Cumbria, a clown brandished a knife. Some of the most disturbing pranks happened on Sunday.

The victims included a man walking on Newtown Road at 5.20pm when a stranger dressed as a clown leapt from behind a bush and then chased his adult victim along a riverside footpath near Engine Lonning.

At 8pm that night, in similar incident, a man in his 40s was chased around Hammonds Pond by another clown – also an adult. A woman dog walker is also said to have been scared by a clown on Blackwell Road.

On Saturday, there were clown pranksters in action across the city – on Denton Holme, Raffles, and Currock.

The worst west Cumbrian incident happened on the Cloffocks in Workington on Sunday when somebody in a clown mask brandished a stick – at first thought to be an axe - as he approached a small child outside sports centre.

He then ran off.

Superintendent Mark Pannone said: “Dressing up as a clown to scare people may seem like a joke, but it is no laughing matter. The fear of such incidents is deeply upsetting children in Cumbria and causing them a great deal of distress.

“It will not be tolerated by police.

“We’d like to remind those that are thinking of taking part in this nationwide craze, to first think of the consequences. Such behaviour could lead to an arrest for a public order offence, possession of an offensive weapon or an assault.”

On Newtown Road, locals supported the police crackdown.

Eunice Maleney, 43, of from the Vandella flower shop, said: “If it happened to me after dark, I'd get the fright of my life.

“The police are absolutely right to crack down on it. I'd feel sorry for an elderly person if it happened to them.”

Many Speed, from the One Stop Shop on Newtown Road, said: “I'd be terrified if it happened to me – especially after dark. It would freak me out. You don't know what they're going to do.

“They might have disguised themselves to commit a crime.”

Social media was buzzing with reports of creepy clown pranksters across west Cumbrian on Sunday night with sightings in Whitehaven, Cleator Moor, Egremont and St Bees.

One Egremont man told the News & Star that he and his partner captured one of the clowns in Orgill area on camera.

He said: "We saw one at Orgill shops at about 11.30pm (on Sunday) and my partner saw one at the bottom of Hensingham Hill earlier on...It probably started as a bit of fun. But I think it's going to get out of control.

“It's going to escalate.”

Several Facebook groups have been set up for people to view details of the craze.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Clown Apocalypse UK posted a message on its Facebook site saying: "Sleep tight... Whitehaven."

The post was shared nearly 500 times.

One Copeland girl posted on the site, saying: " Will this stop? Because I'm only 11 and I'm scared."

While a concerned grandmother said: "This has got to stop.

“My grandchildren are afraid to go out. Clowns used to be fun. This is now ridiculous. How can frightening young, innocent children be fun! Get a grip."

The so-called “killer clown craze” came from the US in August but has since spread to the UK and Australia.

Since it started there have been a spate of incidents across the UK. In County Durham on Friday, four children were followed to school by a man in a clown outfit who was armed with what turned out to be a plastic machete.

Perhaps the most famous wicked clown is the character Pennywise created by novelist Stephen King in his novel It. King recently commented on the craze, saying: “It's time to cool the clown hysteria.”