Clowning around - on a mobility scooter!

Staff at Martin Lee Car Sales caught the odd sight on a phone as the masked rider flashed by them at speed at the side of the main A61 route into the centre of Sheffield.

The clown, who had a bald head, white complexion and sprouts of red hair, also appeared to have balanced his walking frame on the back of the mobility scooter.

He was spotted heading south on Penistone Road, in the Hillsborough area of the city, outside the New Barrack Tavern.

Justin Martin Lee, from Martin Lee Car Sales, posted the video on his Facebook page and it has now been viewed more than 17,000 times.

He said: “He just shot past and we managed to get the phone out. It was just very strange.”

The sighting comes after a spate of US-style clown pranks across the UK prompted a warning from police.

Earlier this week, Northumbria Police issued an appeal and warning after a series of incidents in Newcastle involving people dressed as clowns jumping out and scaring schoolchildren.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested in the Blakelaw area of the city on Tuesday following reports of someone dressed as a clown attempting to scare passers-by.