WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Locals in Lancashire have been left on edge after they spotted a naked man wearing a gimp mask and trainers. Police have now launched a manhunt following the incident
Residents in a peaceful UK village have been left spooked by a naked man seen prowling the streets in a gimp mask.
Locals situated in the northern town of Lytham, Lancashire, spotted the mystery man who wore nothing but the mask and trainers. Eerie doorbell footage captured him creeping around several roads shortly after midnight on July 18.
Frightened residents alerted the local police by sending them over the clip, with officials now appealing to find the scary stranger. Officers have asked for anyone with CCTV footage to contact Lancashire Police.
A spokesperson for the force said they are investigating the “concerning” incident. In a statement, they said: “We are aware of a concerning video circulating on social media of a naked male wearing a face covering walking around Lytham in the early hours of the morning. It comes as UK drivers were warned over ‘avoiding’ road instead of having to follow new rule.
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“This occurred in the area of Westby Street, Cleveland Road and Bannister Street. We can confirm this incident occurred on the 18th July 2025 at approximately 00.50am. This incident was not initially reported to police and has only been brought to our attention after it has been viewed on Facebook.”
The spokesperson confirmed that Fylde Rural Task Force are currently in the process of conducting both CCTV and house enquiries. They also added that the public should be “reassured” that officers are “taking this matter seriously”. Men walking around villages dressed only in gimp get-ups seems to be something of a phenomenon, as a similar incident left residents in Somerset equally baffled.
In 2022, a village decided to join forces and hunt down a strange man dressed in a latex gimp suit after he scared a teen in a sleepy Somerset village. A Gimp suit individual had terrorised the villages between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare for years.
In fact, that was the 15th suspected sighting of the fetish fiend in that area over four years. Steve Elston, whose daughter Kiera Elston, then 19, was approached with boyfriend Lewis Webb, then 21, by the rubber rotter one weekend, was among disgusted locals who pledged to hunt him down, reports Daily Star.
In a Facebook appeal he wrote: “Last night my daughter and her boyfriend were approached by Gimp Man at around 1am at the top of Claverham Road where it meets Yatton High Street. Could you pm me if you have any suspicions as to who he is? Kiera was absolutely terrified. She contacted the police who didn’t even come round to take a statement. So I’ll be on the hunt for him myself.”
A group was set up and people divided themselves into teams to cover the area. At the time, a spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said by the time officers reached the scene, the man Kiera saw had vanished. They added: “She described him as more than 6ft tall and slim and said the incident had caused her alarm and distress.
“Officers carried out a search of the area but found no trace of the man. Neighbourhood officers are following up on the incident and carrying out extra patrols.” Despite arresting two people, the police never did get to the bottom off the mystery of the gimp man. As for the Lancashire force, they are hoping to track down more information.