It’s a Halloween tradition: sharing ghost stories of that friend of a friend who had supernatural encounters with the other side. But it seems that the paranormal might be closer to home than we thought.

Ghost have been spotted and eerie presences felt all over UEA campus.

Environmental Science Department

John,  a UEA cleaner, recalls having an encounter with the supernatural around five years ago while cleaning an office in the Environmental Science Department.

He said: “It was about 6:30 in morning, when I noticed something going past the corner of my eye in the corridor. It was odd because I hadn’t heard the doors open.”

At either end of the corridor were squeaky doors that would make a noise whenever opened. But this door hadn’t made a sound.

John said, “I saw a large, very scruffy looking man walking along with long hair and a scraggly beard. As I watched him he walked straight through the doors before disappearing.”

The experience left John shaky and for the following weeks whenever he was cleaning that section he would feel a change in atmosphere and the hairs on his neck would stand up. He said: “You could feel something, like a presence, behind you”.

The Dean of Students building is also rumoured to be ghost-prone, with many saying it has “a funny feeling”. A former member of staff was left unnerved after seeing what looked like a brief flash of something in front of him before the apparition walked through him. The ordeal left him so shocked and shaken up that he needed two weeks’ leave to calm down before he felt able to return to work.

Mary Chapman Court

As if bedbugs and cockroaches weren’t bad enough, Mary Chapman Court has yet more uninvited guests. The halls, dubbed Scary Chapman Court, are apparently home to a poltergeist. According to one resident the ghost boils the kettle, blows out birthday candles and most shockingly of all – throws up in people’s bins when it’s had a bit too much to drink.

First year English Literature student Vincent Gaffney said: “I haven’t seen any ghosts but just looking at the state of this place I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few things floating around. I have heard some kind of unnerving quacks at night though.”

Some MCC residents have experienced slightly more dangerous spooky happenings. Demi-Lee Turnbull said “Today my flat’s oven was left on and no one is owning up to it. It was kind of spooky because it was such a weird time of day.”

Earlham Hall

Earlham Hall is easily the scariest place on campus – and not just because it’s constantly full of smug Law students.

The hall was home to Norfolk fave Elizabeth Fry and it’s rumoured that her cheery sister wanders around the corridor. There are also more grizzly tales of the ghost of a maid who killed herself in the house, continuing to terrorise visitors.

Law Soc President Louisa Baldwin said: “I was working alone in there during the weekend and I heard creaking floorboards and a friend of mine was working alone in the common room which has a lift in the room. She heard the lift going up but no one was there.”

Unfortunately no one has seen the ghosts in a while  – we wouldn’t want to hang around in those lectures either.

But if ghosts don’t make your hair stand on end don’t worry – there’s something spooky for everyone at Earlham Hall.

During renovations in 2013 a witch stone was discovered in the wall carved with the numbers 666 and a pentacle. Law graduate Elle Forman said “It’s fucking terrifying… but probably just because it’s so dark.”