New photo These women claim to be modern-day ghostbusters, but would you call them to banish your ghouls?

They've terrified and mystified us since time began, making the hairs stand up on the most sceptical of necks. 

And it seems ghosts haven't lost any of their spooking power in the modern world.

Interest in the paranormal has never been so intense, with 52 per cent believing in ghosts and one in five claiming to have seen one.

Not suprisingly, interest in the supernatural has become big business, with the rise of 'ghost walks' and English Heritage and the National Trust keen to cash in on properties' dark pasts — plus, cynics point out, some impressionable people's willingness to believe. 

Paranormal investigators from left to right include Penny Griffiths, Jolene Jackson Lockwood, MJ, Kerry Ann Carter, Gemma Drury, Hazel Ford, and Sally Ann Hunt. Jill Foster meets the modern-day female ghostbusters

There are thought to be an astonishing 12,000 professional paranormal investigators working in the UK, with women in particular — who are said to be more empathetic — flocking to the business.

Their clients vary from frightened people convinced of a bad presence in a new house and those wanting to contact a deceased relative, to those looking for a spine-tingling, fun night out in a haunted house. 

And whatever they're after, there's a ghost 'investigator' happy to step in — for a price, of course.

So who are you going to call if you think there's a ghost in your house — or you'd like to meet one? Jill Foster meets the modern-day female ghostbusters.

Most ghosts can be explained by science 

MJ Dickson 33, lives with her husband in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. She says:

Most hauntings can be explained by science. For instance, too many plugs in an extension socket can cause a strong electromagnetic field of energy that makes people think they're being watched, as well as triggering nausea and paranoia.

Or certain low frequencies (infrasound) can cause the liquid in your eye to vibrate at such a high frequency that it can cause an 'apparition' (the London Underground often has these, with rumbling trains).

But ten per cent of the time, I can't explain it and will investigate. I use meters, detectors and cameras as well as my psychic abilities.

MJ Dickson, 33, said of this eerie photo: 'It was at Warwick Castle a couple years ago and I was alone in one of the bedrooms taking photographs. Later, when I looked, there is clearly a full-figure behind me in the pictures. But the CCTV footage shows no one'

Sometimes, a house might need a blessing or an exorcism, so I work with a lot of priests. For this kind of investigation, I'd never charge.

On one occasion, a family called to tell me that another family member, who'd been a particularly nasty piece of work, had passed away — and, since then, they'd been experiencing lots of pushing and shoving by a mysterious presence in the house.

Not many ghosts are malevolent, though. Normally, a ghost just needs to sound off and make themselves known, and a reasonable talking to is enough to persuade them to leave their host in peace.

Other times, I will perform what is known as a spiritual cleansing, in which I will douse the house with certain herbs and say prayers, which worked in this case.

My mother was a fourth generation psychic medium, and my dad a straight-laced sceptic. I take after both of them, so I'm a psychic who asks lots of questions!

I started my company sagepararnormal.co.uk in 2011 and built up a good reputation as an investigator. I am open-minded and rarely get scared, but one photograph still chills me to the bone. 

It was at Warwick Castle a couple years ago and I was alone in one of the bedrooms taking photographs. 

Later, when I looked, there is clearly a full-figure behind me in the pictures. But the CCTV footage shows no one. My pragmatic side cannot explain it.  

I'd love proper proof of ghosts 

Gemma Drury, 34, lives in Grimsby with her son and daughter. She says:

No one can say with 100 per cent conviction that there's such a thing as the paranormal. 

I'd love to be flung across the room by a ghost just so I could say: 'A-ha! There is definitely something out there!'

But I've been an investigator for 16 years and seen too many things that cannot be explained away. Strangely, the one that had me totally spooked happened in my friend's pet shop.

Gemma Drury, 34, said she has seen too many things that cannot be explained away. She set up her own business, Afterlife Encounters, in 2016

Doors were opening by themselves and staff were complaining that an area upstairs left them feeling uneasy. We took a photograph of me on the stairs and, behind, you can clearly see a hooded figure.

My friend told me that when the shop was renovated, a knife with blood was found inside one of the walls. The building has been there for centuries, so who knows what might have happened?

I started working for a para-normal company in 2015. I set up my own business, Afterlife Encounters, in 2016. 

While we don't charge for house calls, we make money from public investigations in which groups of people pay up to £60 each to witness an investigation.

I use 'spirit boxes' — which is basically a box of sound equipment — to measure radio frequencies and can pick up mysterious sounds and voices. 

I also use cameras, sound equipment and meters to detect vibrations or electrical movement.

The cost varies from location to location and the most I've ever done in one week is three. 

Because of all the research, paranormal investigations can be a lengthy business — so I'm kept busy, which is great. I love my work.

I treat spirits with respect 

Sally Ann Hunt, 53, lives in the New Forest with her husband Bob. She runs keepit realparanormalevents.com. Sally says:

In paranormal investigations, ghosts are a vibration stuck in time. There's no intelligence there, simply residual energy of a person left behind. Spirits are completely different. There's a higher intelligence to them. 

They're often people who have passed on but choose to return. I've been able to communicate with them since I was little. When I go to a haunting, I'll often see a spirit waiting for me, wanting to communicate.

A lot of ghosthunters like to provoke spirits, which is disrespectful. I like to reason with them. That is usually enough to placate them.

When a spirit comes near you, you can often smell their perfume. Simply communicating with them and perhaps passing a message on to the living can be enough to stop the haunting.

But I never get scared. We have a spirit of a young lady in our shop, who I believe was a nanny in the Forties. Once, I was putting up a transfer on the walls and she said: 'I love that.' 

Just the other day, I was sitting with friends and one of them was talking about her binge-drinking and a voice said clearly: 'Be careful'. We all heard it.

We also had a lady called 'Peggy the Pinny' who has communicated with us and told us that our shop used to be a bakery. We looked into it and it's true. Some of the older locals even remember her.

Ghosts and spirits will 'live' alongside the living very peacefully if they're left alone and they're happy.

I'm a medium but no 'freak'

Jo Lockwood, 39, lives in Wakefield, West Yorks, with her son Josh, 15, and daughter Maddie 12. She says:

I set up one of the UK's first female-only ghost-hunting businesses, Phantasmic Paranormal, two years ago. We host public events at venues across the UK.

I'm a medium and my four sisters sometimes joke that I'm a 'freak' of the family. Women have more empathy and tend to be more in tune with the spirit world.

Being a clairvoyant medium, I have a number of spirit guides who tell me information about people who have passed but also about those who are still living — that's so people know you are telling the truth.

I've had my gift since I was a child. It is sometimes frightening but I have learned to deal with it now. As well as my psychic ability, I'll often use equipment such as spirit boxes and cameras.

I see people who have passed away all the time. Once I drove past an horrific car crash and saw an injured female standing by the side of the road. Later, on the news, I saw her picture and it said she had passed away instantly.

Fake hauntings are frequent 

Penny Griffiths, 45, lives in Chelmsford with her husband and two sons: She says:

I'm what's known as a 'Sceliever' — a sceptical believer. There could be such a thing as the paranormal but I need more evidence. In fact, the more investigations I do, the more sceptical I become. 

Nine times out of ten, the 'haunting' will be faked. People in the group will be making the 'mysterious' knocking sound or switching on a light or music.

When I get a genuine glimpse of the other side, I'm not scared. I lost my sister suddenly to sepsis when she was 19 and I was only 22. Since then, I've experienced several paranormal actions that I believe are my sister making contact. 

Once, a mirror she'd bought me flew off the wall and landed on the other side of the room. It was burning hot when I tried to pick it up. Children seem particularly receptive to paranormal activity. 

I'd never involve my own children in a hunt, as they're too young, but I was once in an old English Heritage fort in Suffolk on a family day out and my then four-year-old started waving at thin air.

When I asked who he was waving at, he said: The nice soldier man in the corner.' A World War I soldier had died in that very room.

My sister said she'd haunt me 

Hazel Ford, 57, lives in Long Eaton, Derbyshire with her husband and runs haunted happenings.co.uk. She says:

My interest in the paranormal was sparked by an invitation to a ghosthunt about 12 years ago. 

I was working as a psychotherapist and went along, but during the hunt a couple of us found ourselves alone in the ballroom.

Hazel Ford's interest in the paranormal was sparked by an invitation to a ghosthunt about 12 years ago. Some bright lights danced around the room and disappeared through the wall

Some bright lights danced around the room and disappeared through the wall. 

It was frightening and we ran away but later I thought: 'Why did I run? I should have stayed to investigate.'

So ghost-hunting became a hobby and, later, I realised I could turn it into a successful business.

One memorable ghosthunt was in the Crooke House pub in Dudley. A group of us were sitting in the cellar when a ball of light appeared, changed shape, exploded into thousands of fragments and went back to its original shape. I still can't explain it.

Hazel Ford, 57, lives in Long Eaton, Derbyshire with her husband and runs haunted happenings.co.uk 

I've never seen what people might call an actual 'ghost' in 11 years of investigating. 

My sister used to come on ghosthunts with me and before she died of cancer she said to me: 'I know you want proof of ghosts, so when I die, I will do everything I can to come back to haunt you.'

But I've never had any sign. That doesn't disappoint me. I'm happy she's not here and is at peace.

Ghost-hunting is like fishing 

Kerry Ann Carter, 32 lives in Canvey Island, Essex, with her two children. She says:

Ghost-hunting is like fishing. Sometimes you sit all day in the freezing cold, with no activity at all. Other days your equipment will be buzzing with lights, sounds and voices —and it's all worth it.

At the moment I probably get one job a month, as I'm still studying, but I hope to turn this into my full-time job one day.

The best investigation I've done was in a secret location with links to a local witch. 

We caught black mists on camera, heard what sounded like children's footsteps and when I put objects in a locked room, they had moved when I returned. I admit I was scared.

Some friends are fascinated by what I do but others don't want me to talk about it. 

My mum won't discuss it as she's petrified of the paranormal. I love it, though.

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News Pictures These women claim to be modern-day ghostbusters, but would you call them to banish your ghouls? 

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

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kim cattrall

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SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

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