A Bradford Clown... but is it THE Bradford Clown?

For days the web has been on fire with rumours, fears and speculation about someone dressed as a clown roaming the streets of Bradford.

As internet rumours do, it spread very quickly from Tuesday evening with wild claims that the Bradford Clown was responsible for staring in people's windows and even attacking innocent passers-by.

West Yorkshire Police were quick to write the whole thing off as a hoax. But it appears there IS a Bradford Clown... though one not as malicious as people fear.

Despite the scary mask, the clown seems to be a fairly benign presence - either a fundraiser or a busker, according to reports.

Lou McGhie emailed us with this picture and said: "This is the infamous bradford clown... and from first hand experience he is a very friendly clown. He has been patrolling Bradford city centre for several months now."

Lou's fiancé Danny Hale, 28, of Greengates, had his picture taken with this clown more than five months ago.

Lou added: "Even though he is a silent street busker and seems relatively harmless...  I must say he is tad scary!"

This is evidently the same clown as the one in the picture posted on Twitter yesterday by @KashHussainCR7, showing the clown outside McDonald's in the city centre. User AHMRG1 on the T&A website commented: "The image of the Bradford Clown you posted is of a lady who has been dressed like that in the town centre outside Kirkgate Market for a long while now, fundraising for various different charities."

So fundraiser or busker, male or female, it seems THIS scary-looking clown is quite harmless. Whether there are other, more malicious clowns actually on the streets of Bradford, only time will tell...