A paranormal research claim group to have captured images and audio recordings of ghosts across the North East. 

Spectre Detectors have been investigating notable sites across England for the last 12 years - gathering a raft of "evidence" from haunted locations up and down the country. 

Elaine Sugden Kelly, the lead researcher at Spectre Detectors, says that some of the most compelling evidence that the group has captured has originated from Croxdale Community Centre in Spennymoor. 

The building that currently houses the community centre has a tragic past - as it was the site of a former schoolhouse. 

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When the schoolhouse was operational, during the Victorian era,  the state was obliged to pay for the funeral of any student who died on school grounds - meaning parents sometimes sent their children to school even when gravely ill. 

Elaine believes that this could have led to child spirits becoming "trapped" in the building. 

Elaine alleges that this picture, captured in Croxdale Community Centre, shows a spirit that is haunting the building - perhaps a governess from its days as a school, or someone else who has a connection. 

The Northern Echo: Spectre detectors captured this image of a "ghost" at Croxdale Community Centre. Picture: Spectre DetectorsSpectre detectors captured this image of a "ghost" at Croxdale Community Centre. Picture: Spectre Detectors (Image: Spectre Detectors)

Elaine said: "Everybody likes spooky things, but we don't take people along for the scare factor. We educate them that spirits are around them and that the living can deal with them in a very friendly way. People can live with ghosts when they learn a little about them."

The group has also captured images of figures in the North East Land, Sea and Air Museum - claiming that they show a woman in 1940s-style clothing. 

The Northern Echo: Appears to show a woman in 1940s style clothing. The original picture is on the left, and a brightened, enlarged version is on the right. Picture: Spectre DetectorsAppears to show a woman in 1940s style clothing. The original picture is on the left, and a brightened, enlarged version is on the right. Picture: Spectre Detectors (Image: Spectre Detectors)

Elaine understands that there will always be non-believers that doubt her images, saying: "Whenever I show people my pictures, they immediately assume that they're edited, but I promise they are not.

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"They are all stored on their original SD cards - and although I do sometimes brighten pictures to make them more visible, I never photoshop anything in!"

Currently, Elaine is researching the ROF59 site and is trying to raise awareness for the Aycliffe Angels - a group of around 17,000 women from the Aycliffe area who worked filling shells and bullets during the war effort. 

As they were working with explosives, there were many unexpected deaths during the manufacturing process - but as the whole Aycliffe operation was secret, many of these incidents went unrecorded and unreported. 

Elaine has put an appeal out for relatives of those who worked in the ROF Aycliffe site - in the hope that they may be able to give a little more insight into the factory's history. 

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