Vision of mum sparked my book of ghostly tales ; County's hauntings are examined by paranormal researcher

TWENTY-five years after ghost hunter Jason Day saw an apparitionof his dead mother - he has written a book exploring paranormalactivity in Essex.

As a 15 year-old growing up in Scunthorpe, he awoke to find amiddle-aged woman hovering, hands clasped in prayer, moving alongthe upstairs landing.

Dismissing it as a dream, he returned to the family home yearslater only to find, in an old tobacco box buried in the attic, a cut-out picture of his mother, hands clasped - the woman from hisvision.

This experience, coupled with his love of offbeat 1970s horrorfilms, sparked an interest in the paranormal, and he currently hostsa weekly internet radio show on the subject.

Haunted Now the Witham resident has delved into paranormalactivity in Essex - a county he describes as "the most haunted inEngland".

In his book, Paranormal Essex, he recounts the tale of theChelmsford Civic Theatre phantom, a spirit who shows audiencemembers to their seats but, when staff are asked about theirfriendly helper, they look confused and say they don't employ anusher.

The book also claims that Moot Hall, in Maldon, is haunted. Aformer police station and prison, tour guides often report seeingshadowy inmates glide from room to room, or have an uneasy feelingof being watched. But it's not all ghosts and ghouls. How about theBeast of Essex? A giant black 'puma' spotted across Essex since themid-90s.

Or what about the Spider of Stock? Spider An enormous Amazonianspider that awakes periodically to scare villagers. And then there'sthe case of Phyllis Newcombe, a 22-yearold who attended a dancehosted by Chelmsford City supporter's club in 1938, left with herfiance Henry, and then burst into flames.

So does the 39 year-old author really believe in the paranor mal?"Ever since I was a child I have wanted to find out if theparanormal was real or not. But the more I've got into it the moresceptical I've become - because nearly everything can be faked.

"But I've seen, heard, and experienced things I just can'texplain.

"I haven't got an agenda, you need to make your own mind up."

Paranormal Essex is published by The History Press and isavailable on Amazon.co.uk.

To join Jason on a ghost hunt visit www.phantomencounters.co.uk