The person, wearing a Pennywise-style outfit, has allegedly been leaving red balloons around Skelmorlie in North Ayrshire.

Pictures and videos of the clown posing around darkened streets have also reportedly been uploaded and then deleted from social media.

A Facebook account for the Skelmorlie clown has been set up with the name Cole Deimos.

In response to news reports that they had left locals "terrified", the clown uploaded a "message to the media" during the early hours of Thursday morning.

In the rhyming video, they said: "Well, well, well, I've made the news again.

"Should I smile for the cameras with my 'hideous' grin?"

The Facebook profile says the character "studied at Clown School" and lives in Skelmorlie.

In response to a local who said the clown had deleted previous posts because they were "getting too much heat", they said: "What a stupid thing to say."

Pennywise the Dancing Clown is the main antagonist in Stephen King's It.

The character stalks the streets of Derry in Maine, where he kills children roughly every 27 years.

The 1986 horror novel was made into a two-part mini-series in 1990 with Tim Curry in the role. Bill Skarsgard then played the villain in the Hollywood adaptations in 2017 and 2019.

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Police Scotland is said to be aware of the clown's posts. The force has been contacted for comment.

The clown, who seemingly first appeared in the village in 2021, said: "Do you think that I care? They'd have to catch me first anyway - and yes, that's a dare.

"They called me 'killer clown'. Why don't you leave the jokes to me. The only thing that's dying is your credibility."

Calling out the journalists who have covered the story, the clown added: "This clown doesn't want fame, glory or gold.

"He just wants to play in this so-called 'sleepy town'. So, come and join in and learn to fear the Skelmorlie clown."

In response to the video, one Facebook user wrote: "Out of all the clowns in this village he's the best."

Another added: "Brilliant! Love it every year! Please don't stop!"

Another person also told the clown to "never stop", adding: "We were out the other night in Skelmorlie hoping to bump into you."