'It seems to follow him': The terrifying Greater Manchester streets where families have been forced to flee their homes

There are few things we enjoy more than a good scare - as long as it's not real or happening to us. But over the years, there have been reports of families in Greater Manchester being terrorised out of their homes by an often unseen force.

This is not unique to this region, of course. The phenomenon of poltergeist hauntings has been reported for centuries and has been the subject of countless TV shows and Hollywood movies.

Poltergeist is a German word for a ghost or supernatural entity whose behaviour includes physical disturbances such as loud noises or moving objects. The most famous recording of alleged poltergeist activity occurred in Enfield, London, between 1977 and 1979.

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Journalists and paranormal investigators were invited to witness disturbing happenings centred around sisters Janet, aged 11, and Margaret Hodgson, aged 13, at their Enfield home. The alleged poltergeist activity included moving furniture, knocking on walls, strange voices, and even claims of levitation.

While many believe the events were a hoax staged by the girls and their mother, others still believe the Enfield case to be a genuine example of poltergeist activity. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of alleged poltergeist hauntings is that they take place in the most humdrum and domestic settings, as opposed to tales of headless spirits wailing in the corridors of some long-forgotten castle.

Whether the causes of reported poltergeists can be explained rationally, are found to be a hoax, or are even