Ghost hunters have discovered paranormal activity in a North Yorkshire wood – which may shed light on a dark local legend.

Staff at the Yorkshire Paintball Centre, near Skipwith, called in the investigators after a figure was spotted in the woods.

“We couldn’t leave somebody wandering around, but we couldn’t find anybody there,” said Andrew Sables, director of the paintball centre. The paranormal investigators roamed the 100-acre woodland and made some fascinating discoveries.

“They split into three groups, though we sent a staff member along with each one so they didn’t get lost,” Andrew said.

“They brought equipment, including meters with green and red lights on them.

“Each of the meters went red at exactly the same place. They were going off the scale. The name Jonty also kept coming up.”

The findings reminded Andrew of a local legend about a homeless man, who was hanged in the wood by villagers after finding his way into Skipwith many years ago.

Yet despite the supernatural situation, Andrew doesn’t expect people to be frightened away, adding: “I do think more research should be done, which I suppose would attract people interested in paranormal activity.”