A British street plagued by poltergeist activity is so haunted that a new resident was forced to sign a waiver before moving in.
Wingates Grove in Westhoughton, on the outskirts of Bolton, was said to be haunted by an evil spirit throughout the 1990s.
It apparently became so bad that Bolton Council had to step in to try and get to the bottom of what was going on, but they never reached a solid conclusion.
An exorcism was later carried out, which appeared to put an end to the poltergeist activity once and for all.
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But even years later in 2006, a new resident to the street was made to sign a waiver promising she wouldn't use a Ouija board or perform any other type of black magic at the address.
The paranormal experiences first started back in 1993, when one family reported a series of inexplicable occurrences.
They said their young son would talk to a ‘little man’ in his bedroom and an ‘oil-like’ substance would drip down the walls. I’d be out of there like a shot, but the family decided to stay, eventually getting in touch with a local church who sent out an exorcist.
Following the exorcism, the spooky goings on stopped - but five years later, in 1999, they picked back up again, this time two-doors down.
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Former resident Laura, who was 12 at the time, said she felt something was wrong with the property as soon as the family arrived.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, she said: “I begged my mum not to move in. I didn’t like the feel of it. I didn’t feel comfortable but when we got our stuff in, it faded a bit.
“When things started happening, my mum would say it was the ghost of my granddad. But I said it wasn’t.
“I just knew there was something there. It felt like I was walking into someone’s personal space. I didn’t want to walk through the door.”
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Laura, now 34, said she remembers the first spooky incident like it was yesterday.
She had been with her older brother and had decided to play a prank on their friend who was sleeping over.
As they ran back upstairs, her brother let out a blood-curdling scream. He had cut his foot open on a picture frame that was standing on the staircase.
It had been hanging on the wall just moments before and had not fallen down.
“We had literally just walked on the stairs and if it fell it wouldn’t stand up,” Laura continued.
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“If he stood on it, it would have slipped. It was like a force was holding it in place. That was one of the first scary things that happened.”
Other incidents, including dozens of dead crows scattered around the garden, a foul sulphur smell that would fill the property and that same oil-like substance their neighbours found trickling down the walls, also occurred.
Laura also heard ghostly footsteps and her young nephew would chat away to the ‘Big Guy’ while sat in an empty room.
Laura moved out when she was 16, but says the spooky experiences have lived with her ever since.
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“I don't watch any scary films or anything to do with ghosts,” Laura added.
“I’ve suffered with anxiety since to the point where the whole thing about the street is on my doctor’s note.
“The last five months we lived there I slept in a bed with my mum and dad because I was that scared. That’s when things got really bad.
“I kept seeing people stood at the door. I fell asleep facing my wall because I was terrified of turning over.
“If I needed to go to the toilet in the night, I would hold it in.”
Caron Walton, who now lives in Laura's childhood home, says she has ’no problem’ with the property’s history – and actually enjoys its quirky past.
She purchased the home in 2006 and says she had to sign a disclaimer before she moved into the address.
She was also told she was not allowed to move into the home if she had young children.
“I understand there was something going on there,” she said, "It used to jump from there, to the house next door to here.
“I had to sign a disclaimer saying I wouldn’t use a Ouija board or do black magic or anything dark.
“They wanted me to sign a slip of paper. I quite liked it. I’ve heard tales that there’s meant to be an old man walking around on the landing, but we’re quite happy here.
“I think it’s quite novel; I quite like it. It’s a selling point for me.”
Caron says she hasn’t experienced any supernatural activity since moving in.
Claire Reid