Haunted Haulage: Drivers report chills on Britain’s spookiest roads

With Halloween looming, it's not only potholes and tailgaters giving drivers the chills. A new study has revealed that four of Europe's ten most haunted roads are right here in the UK - and they've been giving truckers and motorists alike a fright for years. Top of the list is the six-mile Stocksbridge Bypass between Sheffield and Huddersfield, a stretch well known among locals for spooky goings-on.

Built near what's thought to be an old monastery, it's said to be haunted by a medieval monk and ghostly children who appear in headlights or mirrors before vanishing into thin air. Another route raising hairs is the Kinmount Straight on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, where tales include phantom hitchhikers, ghostly parades and strange creatures. With the area's history of battles and witch trials, it's not hard to see why it's earned a haunted reputation.

Still, car rental comparison site DiscoverCars.com, which compiled the list, noted that "HGV drivers who use the route have blamed the physical and mental exhaustion of long drives for playing tricks on the mind." Heading south, Blue Bell Hill near Rochester in Kent is known for its 'ghost bride'. Countless drivers have reported picking up a young woman trying to get home, only for her to disappear from the back seat before reaching her destination.

And over in Dartmoor, the B3212 has terrified motorists for decades with stories of "hairy hands" that grab the steering wheel and try to force vehicles off the road. Aleksandrs Buraks, head of growth at DiscoverCars.com, said: "Our research found that the UK and Ireland in particular have many eerie roads you can drive through, as the majority of the haunted roads we found are in one of these countries. "If you find yourself driving down one of these spooky roads, make sure to drive slowly and carefully.

Knowing that you're in an allegedly haunted place might be distracting, so it's important to pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely."

The findings tie in with a survey by Select Car Leasing, which revealed 9% of UK drivers claim to have seen a ghost while out on the road - rising to one in five among 18-24-year-olds.

As Graham Conway, Select Car Leasing MD, put it: "If you think potholes and middle-lane hoggers are scary, look away now, because there might be something even more frightening lurking on Britain's roads!"