The ghost map: Yorkshire tops spook league with a third of adults claiming to have seen a spectre

* Ghost sightings at an all-time high in Britain
* Leading psychologist blames 'ghost shows' on television

Paranormal: More than 11million British adults claim to have been visited by an apparition, according to a survey conducted by YouGov

Paranormal: More than 11million British adults claim to have been visited by an apparition, according to a survey conducted by YouGov

Ghosts are busting out all over Britain, according to a survey which shows record-breaking rates of spooky experiences.

Research by leading psychologist and paranormal investigator Professor Richard Wiseman reveals that a quarter of British adults - more than 11million people - claim to have experienced a ghost.

In the 1950s, the figure was just 7 per cent, rising to 14 per cent in the 1990s and 19 per cent in 2003.



Prof Wiseman, who does not believe in ghosts, thinks the large number of reports of apparitions, bumps in the night, and eerie sounds may be more to do with TV than psychic activity.

Ghosts have never been so popular on television, with shows such as Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters and Famous And Frightened attracting large numbers of fans.

'It's a surprisingly high figure, and it's interesting that the proportion of people who say they believe in ghosts has remained the same as it has been for many years, which is about a third,' said Prof Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire.

'My only thought is that, because there have been a lot of ghost shows on TV, people may just be more likely to attribute certain experiences, like hearing creaky floorboards, to ghosts.

'All these shows are feeding off the perception that these things actually exist and not looking at the psychological perspective.'

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