THEY are the masked performers with red noses and wacky clothes that have entertained children for centuries.

But now clowns have developed a more sinister side after dozens of attacks across the country which have been no laughing matter.

Now a popular children’s entertainer from Hampshire has hit out at the so-called Killer Clowns craze, saying it is casting a dark shadow over their profession with some altering their costumes for fear of frightening people.

The criticism comes as mental health therapists warn there could be a spike in people seeking help for clown phobias.

Crazy M from Southampton has been clowning around for two decades and is renowned for comedy sketches, slapstick humour and magic shows along with her trademark phase, ‘Don’t say sausages’.

Although she wears the traditional clown make-up, Crazy M insists she’s not the scary type and likes nothing lessmore than making her audience chuckle.

She is shocked by the recent trend, which has seen police across the nation called to a string of incidents where people have dressed up as sinister clowns to deliberately scare people.

People dressed as clowns have struck in Southampton, Eastleigh, Gosport and New Milton – with one woman allegedly threatened at knifepoint by someone dressed in a mask.

A group of girls were chased by two clowns and a man dressed in black in International Way, Weston, Southampton, and cornered in a tower block – in incidents echoing a trend which erupted in the USA this summer.

Crazy M, aka aka Emma Le Huray, 41, who celebrates her 20th anniversary next year, said: “It’s very sad. We clowns are here to make people laugh and smile. I do this out of the heart and I feel so rewarded from lifting people’s spirits whether it’s at children’s party or in hospitals. But people going out as clowns to scare people is crazy. It isn’t funny, it’s scaring children and the vulnerable. I wish they would think about what they are doing.”

She began entertaining while working at holiday camps in the early 1990s and now her children Demie, 11, and Alfie, three, often join in her acts.

She says that – despite fears that the industry will be harmed by the trend – she is receiving regular bookings, but has had to contact clients ahead to see if they are comfortable with her arriving in her clown outfit.

She says that as a children’s entertainer she wears little makeup and that her acts have often been done without the outfit on.

But says she is considering suspending the wearing of her outfit during Hallowe’en due to the hysteria surrounding clowns, and that other clown friends are thinking of wearing less make-up too.

But she stresses that the craze will blow over and that clowns – who have entertained the masses for hundreds of years – will still be going strong for years to come.

She added: “It will pass - this isn’t the end of clowns. Our job is to make people happy and we have brought so much joy to the world.”

The idea of scary clowns has been influenced by Stephen King’s It and Poltergeist.

But Richard Mutiner, a lecturer in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) at Southampton University, said many people develop phobias during childhood where they see clowns in their “extreme” dress, colours and body proportions and become confused by the “mixed messages” that these strange-looking adults should be something fun.

He said that those with phobias rarely bring it up and they can easily avoid clowns in everyday circumstances.

But now the trend and the chance that one is lurking around the corner will cause these fears to raise their head.

He said: “It’s a common fear. Up until now clowns can normally be avoidable. Now they are jumping out on people and there could be a spike in people coming to us with clown phobias.

“Those doing it think it is a practical joke but it could cause post traumatic stress. How can they find people’s suffering funny.”

As previously reported the perpetrators themselves can be in danger.

A 13-year-old boy wearing a clown mask suffered “serious injuries” when he was hit by a car in Windermere Avenue, Millbrook.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital with head and wrist injuries after the incident at 6.40pm on Monday [October 10].

Police say that he had been wearing the mask in the street before he was struck but stress he is not being linked to the craze.

Elsewhere there have been a deluge of calls to Childline from youngsters left terrified by the sinister phenomenon.

In just one week the charity was contacted 120 times by scared children.

Clowns have been seen with weapons such as knives or baseball bats, in some instances specifically targeting schools.

Police warn that jokers or criminals using the costumes to deliberately scare people will face arrest, and are urging people not to take part.

Superintendent Paul Bartolomeo of Hampshire Constabulary said: “We don’t want to be killjoys but some of these incidents have been extremely frightening for those involved. We would ask people to think about the impact of their actions.”

. What to them is a harmless prank, could be an intimidating and threatening experience to others, especially young children and vulnerable people.”

He warned those responsible could be convicted of public order offences and added: “These incidents are also taking up valuable police time and resources, and will ultimately have an impact on other calls coming into the control room and officers attending other incidents If anyone has seen the clown or is worried for their safety they should call Hampshire Constabulary on 101 quoting 44160379643.