Paranormal guides wanted at former prison

Joel Campbell, owner of Shrewsbury Prison, is looking to fill a rather unusual vacancy - ghost tour guide.

The former jail now operates as a tourist attraction, and has previously featured in TV dramas and celebrity reality show, Banged Up.

The role will see people lead evening tours around the site, helping the public investigate some of the paranormal activity.

Mr Campbell said the prison was home to many spirits, including a young boy he believes is from the Georgian times, and a male prisoner that pulls women's hair.

"If you're scared of the dark, you're probably going to struggle a little bit with the job."

One of the first spirits he says he saw was the "shadow man", who appeared in the prison's A wing.

"[It was] basically just a shadow of a former male prison officer, around 6ft, who walks all the way along the back of the landings and just disappears into a cell," he said.

"It was one of those really weird things where I wasn't sure whether to be scared, excited or relieved to see something."

He added that the prison's C wing is the most haunted in the entire building.

"It doesn't matter who you are, how brave you are, whether you believe in ghosts or don't believe in ghosts. When it is 3 o'clock in the morning and it is pitch black and you're the only person here, you walk faster down the landing than you would during the day."

As for people looking to fill the ghost tour guide vacancies, Mr Campbell is looking for people with an interest in all things spooky.

"Obviously, as you would expect, they need to have a passion for the paranormal. And, they need to be not scared of the dark," he laughed.

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