Britain is facing a ghost shortage as ageing spirits are passing over to the “other side”, according to a leading paranormal expert.

Dr Paul Lee believes that the UK’s spectral heritage is in serious decline as many ghosts have become dormant or moved on.

The paranormal researcher and author shared: “Since January 2020 I’ve been contacting all the reportedly haunted locations on my app, and asking if the residents, owners or staff have experienced any unexplained activity.”

He continued: “So far I’ve had almost 800 replies and even some supposedly highly haunted places like Conisbrough Castle in South Yorkshire, the Ettington Park Hotel in Stratford said to be one of the most haunted hotels in the UK and Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly, say they haven’t experienced anything in the last few years.”

…

He suggested: “It could be that a spirit had a natural source of energy to begin with which has dwindled away over time, leaving them without the reserves to manifest anymore.”

However, Dr Lee, who hails from Fairstead, Norfolk, and holds a PhD in nuclear physics, offered a glimmer of hope, stating: “It may be that ghosts can be recharged.”

He concluded: “You sometimes hear stories of ghosts suddenly appearing again after many years’ absence.”