(Image: Adam Clark Photography)
BRADFORD has been named Yorkshire and the Humber’s “haunted house” capital.
The city topped the Haunted Home Risk Index, created by engineering specialists Ailsa, which ranks locations based on housing characteristics commonly linked to spooky sounds and chills—though not actual ghost sightings.
The index looked at homes built before 1930, poor EPC ratings (E to G), and substandard wall and heating efficiency.
Bradford scored 62.5 out of 100, ahead of Leeds at 60.2 and York at 49.7.
Jamie Burns, an engineering expert at Ailsa, said: "It might sound strange, but some of the technology associated with ghost hunting isn’t actually a million miles away from equipment we use in engineering.
"We use similar principles in our everyday work, except rather than looking for ghosts, we’re looking for problems.
"In a funny way, you could say engineers like us are already professional ghost hunters, we’re just normally hunting for faults rather than phantoms."
Many classic haunted house phenomena have practical explanations, according to Mr Burns.
He said footsteps could be caused by vibrations from heating systems or traffic, while random banging at night is often due to cooling pipes or contracting roof timbers.
Flickering lights, he added, could point to a loose connection or faulty fitting.