Communities across Cumbria are being plagued by a bizarre craze with yobs dressed as “creepy clowns” terrifying strangers.

Cumbria Police dealt with 17 clown-related incidents over the weekend – with one report that a clown was seen brandishing a knife and others where small children were targeted.

The chilling craze has swept the country, with police called out scores of times after complaints from victims.

In Carlisle, police are investigating incidents across the city, including one at Hammond’s Pond, while in Workington a small child was left traumatised after being approached by a clown armed with a stick. In the worst incident, in south Cumbria, a clown brandished a knife. Some of the most disturbing pranks happened on Sunday.

The victims included a man walking on Newtown Road, Carlisle, at 5.20pm when a stranger dressed as a clown leapt from behind a bush and chased his adult victim along a riverside path near Engine Lonning.

At 8pm that night, in a similar incident, a man in his 40s was chased around Hammonds Pond by another clown – also an adult. A woman dog walker was scared by a clown on Blackwell Road.

On Saturday, there were clown pranksters in action across the city – in Denton Holme, Raffles, and Currock.

The worst west Cumbrian incident happened on the Cloffocks in Workington on Sunday when somebody in a clown mask brandished a stick – at first thought to be an axe – as he approached a small child outside sports centre. He then ran off.

Superintendent Mark Pannone said: “Dressing up as a clown to scare people may seem like a joke, but it is no laughing matter. The fear of such incidents is deeply upsetting children and causing them a great deal of distress. It will not be tolerated.

“We’d like to remind those that are thinking of taking part in this nationwide craze, to first think of the consequences. Such behaviour could lead to an arrest for a public order offence, possession of an offensive weapon or an assault.”

On Newtown Road, locals supported the crackdown.

Eunice Maleney, 43, from the Vandella flower shop, said: “If it happened to me after dark, I’d get the fright of my life.

“The police are absolutely right to crack down on it. I’d feel sorry for an elderly person if it happened to them.”

Many Speed, from the One Stop Shop on Newtown Road, said: “I’d be terrified if it happened to me – especially after dark. It would freak me out. You don’t know what they’re going to do. They might have disguised themselves to commit a crime.”

Social media was buzzing with reports of creepy clown pranksters across west Cumbria on Sunday night with sightings in Whitehaven, Cleator Moor, Egremont and St Bees.

One Egremont man told the News & Star that he and his partner captured one clown in Orgill on camera.

He said: “We saw one at Orgill shops at about 11.30pm (on Sunday) and my partner saw one at the bottom of Hensingham Hill earlier on... It probably started as a bit of fun. But it’s going to get out of control. It’s going to escalate.”

Several Facebook groups have been set up for people to view details of the craze.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Clown Apocalypse UK posted a message on its Facebook site saying: “Sleep tight... Whitehaven.”

The post was shared nearly 500 times.

One Copeland girl posted on the site, saying: “Will this stop? Because I’m only 11 and I’m scared.”

A concerned grandmother said: “This has got to stop.

“My grandchildren are afraid to go out. Clowns used to be fun. How can frightening young, innocent children be fun! Get a grip.”

The “killer clown craze” came from the US but spread to the UK and Australia. Since it started there have been a spate of incidents. In County Durham, four children were followed to school by a clown armed with what turned out to be a plastic machete.

The most famous wicked clown is the character Pennywise created by Stephen King in his novel It . King recently commented, saying: “It’s time to cool the clown hysteria.”