Medium called in to contact Carlisle's Botcherby shop 'ghost'

By Linzi Watson

Last updated at 23:44, Friday, 05 March 2010

A ghost buster is being drafted in to solve the mystery of a spooky ‘spirit’ at a Carlisle off-licence.

Video: Watch the 'spirit' as captured on the shop's CCTV

Botcherby 'ghost'

The Botcherby ‘ghost’ – captured on a CCTV camera outside Simply Food & Drinks – is causing a stir around the world and shop bosses are drafting in a medium.

Since appearing on the News & Star website, 5,000 people have downloaded the mysterious recording of the ghost outside the Durranhill Road shop.

Images of the apparition have also been picked up by Romanian, Swedish and Japanese news websites.

The strange scenes were captured by bemused store staff Trish Nolan and Sonya Hird when the spirit appeared to drift in and out of the shop almost 10 times in one hour last week.

Manger Sue McKie, told the News & Star that the ghostly goings on continued into the weekend.

The ‘ghost’ appears as strange white mist on CCTV screens showing the outside of the store.

It moves around the area before disappearing.

Mrs McKie said: “It was happening again over the weekend. I don’t believe in ghosts but I can’t explain what is happening. There have been some very strange things going on.”

She added that the company bosses are arranging for a medium to visit the shop and hopefully shed light on the mystery.

She said: “This has come from head office.

“Staff are a bit spooked and they want to get to the bottom of it and hopefully put their minds at rest.

“We have six cameras in the store and they have been randomly switching off, but the date and time have remained on the screen.

“The camera outside the store also appears to show a light come on inside the shop late at night.

“But at this time the light would have been off, they are all on a timer, and the shutters down.”

She added that the cameras have been cleaned so a mark on the lens can’t be to blame. Having sifted through all the footage Mrs McKie noted 14 ‘ghostly’ appearances on Saturday and seven on Sunday.

As well as grasping attention around the world, the Botcherby ‘ghost’ has captured the minds of local people. One theory says that the spook has been disturbed by workmen renovating a flat across the road, which was also said to have been haunted.

First published at 11:29, Thursday, 04 March 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk