Two people have spoken out after coming face to face with terrifying clowns as a new craze sweeping Britain reaches Maidstone and Paddock Wood.

The two towns appear to be the latest parts of the UK to fall victim to an American trend in which people dress as clowns and terrorise members of the public.

The clown craze, often referred to in the States as Killer Clown, has seen so-called pranksters don either clown masks or entire outfits and wait outside schools, hang around near homes or run down streets in an attempt to scare people.

Young mum Cheryl Russ had a terrifying encounter with a person dressed as a clown as she walked along Sutton Road with her three-month-old son Riley at about 8pm on Friday.

The 17-year-old beauty therapist said: "I was pushing my son in his pram and the clown jumped out from behind the tree with a baseball bat and was laughing.

"It must have seen that I had a baby and left me alone and hid again. I quickly got back onto the main road and rung my friend to tell her. She and her mum met me near the police headquarters."

While Cheryl was still recovering from the shock last night, one of her friends spotted another clown in Quarry Road, Tovil, and managed to get a photo.

Clowns have reportedly been seen in Tovil, Mote Park and Tonbridge Road in the county town.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of this morning a post on a Paddock Wood Facebook group suggested the craze had reached the town last night.

The 18-year-old, who asked not be be named, wrote: “Clowns have been spotted in Paddock Wood, down alleyway near John Brunt and Waitrose. Not sure if dangerous, ran off when started flashing lights at him then returned about a hour later.”

Speaking to the Kent Messenger today, he added: "I was in the car with my brother and a friend. The first time we saw them was about 12.30am and we saw them again about 1.30am.

"All I could see was clown mask with a white top and a baseball bat in his hand.

"He started walking towards us then ran down one of the exits when I started flashing my headlights at him."

Some fellow members of the Facebook group were dubious about the alleged sighting between the pub and the supermarket in the Church Road area.

One asked: “Is this a serious post?”

But others were fuming at the idea of jokers in fancy dress trying to scare townsfolk.

One wrote: “Oh brilliant! They’ve started in PW as well now. Let’s hope the craze doesn’t last long.”

Another said: “I’m really not happy that it’s reached PW. It’s pointless, could be scary and is just selfish.”

And just a few miles up the road in Ashford, a pensioner was chased by a clown as he walked his dog.

As news of the clown craze’s arrival in Kent spread, more worried coulrophobia sufferers - people with a fear of clowns - took to Twitter to condemn the bizarre trend.

@LizardLife_ posted: “Clowns spotted in Kent, how can I sleep now?

Meanwhile, @dazzer2015 issued the following warning: “To all of the people who live in Kent, there are stupid people running around dressing up as clowns scaring little kids. GROW UP!”

This is not the first time clowns have haunted people in West Kent.

This time last year, just weeks before Halloween, schools in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells issued warnings after several pupils were approached and followed by a woman wearing a spooky mask.

An 18-year-old girl eventually admitted she was in the one behind the mask.

Further afield, in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, two youngsters in clown masks were recently spotted throwing toilet paper over a car.

Similar scary sightings have been reported all over the country in the past few weeks including in Manchester where a group has been set up on social media site Instagram to coordinate spooky gatherings outside schools, and in Suffolk, where a young boy was reportedly chased by several people dressed as clowns.

Some people in other part of Britain have reportedly been found to be carrying knives as well as wearing fancy dress while numerous children in America have reported the clowns were trying to lure them into woodland or vehicles with the promise of sweets or money.

Kent Police said they have not had any reports of clowns in Paddock Wood but forces in other parts of the country have warned anyone thinking about dressing up and frightening members of the public that they could be committing a crime under the Public Order Act 1986.

Have you spotted any clowns and how do you feel about them? Is the clown craze funny or terrifying? Comment below, email messengernews@thekmgroup.co.uk or contact the Kent Messenger Facebook page.