IPSWICH: Amateur detectives Lee and Michelle Markwell decided to take matters into their own hands after a series of bizarre experiences.

Mystified by the paranormal activities in their new house, the couple set up a camera in an attempt to discover just what goes on after dark.

And they have come to the conclusion their home in Mottram Close, Pinewood, where they have lived since last April, is inhabited by a ghostly creature.

Mr Markwell, 39, said: “Since we have lived in our house there have been some rather bizarre goings-on.

“We have had the microwave oven start itself up in the middle of the night, the kettle boil itself, the doorbell ring when no-one’s there and the toilet flush on its own.

“We’ve also heard footsteps going up and down the stairs and I’ve felt something brush past me several times when I’ve been on the stairs. It’s just all very strange.”

None of their neighbours could offer up an explanation so Mr Markwell stayed up into the early hours of the morning with a video camera.

The results he said were “absolutely fantastic”.

“I felt like a complete crackpot sitting at the top of my stairs with a camera but it paid off,” he said.

“The next moment I was surrounded by these white/grey dots and the room went completely stone cold.

“The goings-on don’t scare me at all, in fact they fascinate me.

“I think it’s absolutely fantastic.”

On another occasion Mr Markwell said he spoke to the “ghostly being” while he was filming.

“I spoke out loud and said ‘if you want me to stay, give me a bright light’ and it happened. It was very surreal,” he added.

Mr Markwell, who works as a team leader at Tower Ramparts, said he has sent some of the footage in to TV show Most Haunted and is waiting to hear back from producers.

He added: “These are the same kind of events that happen on Most Haunted and are the first signs of a ghost.”

Mr and Mrs Markwell, 33, believe the apparitions could be family members who have passed away.

“It could be my daughter who was a stillborn, my wife’s mum or my grandparents but I just don’t know,” Mr Markwell said.

n Have you ever had a paranormal experience? Call newsdesk on 01473 324790 or e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk