UK: Some people claim to have seen ghosts but this woman believes she can smell them.
Laura Dickson says she is being stalked by a whiffy spirit which emits a fishy odour to warn her something bad is about to happen.
The 27-year-old says she first felt something supernatural as a child when she noticed the odd smell shortly before getting news that a relative had been rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke.
Laura, from Sittingbourne in Kent, said: "The pong always appeared right before something bad happened.
"Ever since I was little, I’ve sensed spirits around me. I’d pick up on presences in the room and the fishy smell would come as a warning."
Recalling her first supernatural encounter, she said: "I remember one time my mum rang to tell me about a close relative who’d been rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke.
"In a way, the spirits’ whiffy warning had helped prepare me."
Her experiences have led her to work as a ghost hunter – one of the UK’s few female spectre stalkers.
Laura, a keen amateur photographer, said: "I often visited old buildings to take photos.
"I noticed a number of my pictures were covered in light orbs.
"When I researched it online, I learnt that some people believe it indicates a spirit present in the picture.
"This made me think, ‘I’m going to catch more than light orbs’. So I continued scouring old buildings, snapping away."
n January last year, Laura, who works as a machinist, was taking pictures of St Peter and St Paul church in Borden, Kent, when she snapped something spooky.
"In one of the pictures, a ghostly figure was standing in the window of the church,” she said.
"I glance up and the ghost had disappeared. I made my way home and uploaded the pictures onto my laptop.
Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter
"As I zoomed into the image I noticed it looked like a monk.
"I did some research and discovered the church was founded by monks hundreds of years ago.
"I realised it must have been haunted by them and I’d caught one on camera. I couldn’t believe I’d managed it.