AT this time of year plenty will share tales of things going bump in the night.

But for one Padgate family spooky goings on have been a very frightening prospect after they reported paranormal activity at the Plaice Station chippy.

Darren Sudlow, who has been running the business for the last eight years, says it started with 6ft high switches at the back of fridges and freezers being turned off before glasses were smashed and mop buckets pushed across the floor.

The 45-year-old looked for help after his son Kieran, aged 19, suffered three separate horrifying experiences where he could feel something pushing him into his bed when he stayed over at the chippy during refurbishment works.

Darren added: "The staff didn't like going upstairs and it's been a standing joke for years because it's such an old building but over the last six months things got really bad.

"It was unnerving and there was a different atmosphere.

"I do believe in ghosts and while some of it may sound ridiculous there's no other way of explaining what was going on."

They called in author, psychic and medium Kevin McGrath who says he initially exorcised a Victorian-looking station master before he had to return three weeks later when problems started again to move over a 'burly' farmer spirit.

The Fairfield resident added: "The building dates back to 1820/30 and it's part of a very old train station.

"There's a lot of history and character there as during the First World War thousands of soldiers passed through there.

"The station master was irate over changes being made and sometimes spirits just need help moving over and sometimes they can be quite resistant and this one needed some strength.

"I don't take payment for it but I'm happy to talk about it so other people going through the same thing don't think they're going off their rocker."

Darren and his son have now got their fingers crossed this will be an end to the problem but Kevin explains the buildings near Padgate Station are not Warrington's most haunted.

He added: "Every dwelling I have popped into on Marsh House Lane has been haunted as well as Norris Street and the Church Street area.

"There's a lot of history there and Red Bank near Winwick got its name because there was so much blood shed there during the war."