A quarter of young people living in Edinburgh believe their home could be haunted

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Spooky season is here but millions of Brits appear to be terrified in their own homes every night of the year.

Whether it's strange bumps in the night or doubts about security, nearly a third of UK homeowners admit they are scared of being in their homes alone with 25 per cent of under 34s even confessing that they believe their homes could be haunted.

The study by MyBuilder.com also found that this belief was the strongest among young people living in Edinburgh where 27 per cent stated their homes were possibly subject to unwelcome apparitions.

This statistic comes after the Record recently reported that Edinburgh had been named the most likely place in Scotland to meet a ghost with the spooky capital city being home to many haunted locations such as Edinburgh Castle and Mary King's close.

The new data showed that 28 per cent of Brits aged between 18-34 are scared of staying home alone. However, the over 55s were much less concerned, with just three per cent admitting to feeling fear when being home by themselves.

Figures also showed that women feel slightly more fearful than men at 15 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. While others didn't necessarily believe their homes were haunted, almost a quarter of Brits admitted to experiencing unexplained sounds in their property, which had scared or spooked them.

Across all age ranges, 23 per cent stated this had happened to them, while falling short of stating the sounds were caused by ghostly guests.

Despite these spooky occurrences, construction expert Andy Simms from MyBuilder.com has offered some reassurance to frightened homeowners as he broke down each problem and provided them with some far more mundane explanations.

Weird whistles

They may seem scary, but whistles are nearly always caused by gaps in windows and doors. Gaps either in the frame or the seal, can let air in and cause a high-pitched whistle when it’s windy. A glazier or window fitter will ensure your windows are airtight, which will also help insulate your home and save money on heating bills.

Creepy creaking

Creaking noises are likely to be coming from your stairs or floorboards. Changing temperatures can expand and contract wood, causing creaks and groans.

To fix the noise, access the wood’s underside and replace loose fixing blocks or install extra ones, with wood glue and screws to make sure the treads and risers are secure. If you cannot get under the wood, use thin metal brackets to make the joins better sealed.

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Ghoulish gurgling

If air gets drawn into your heating system, the air bubbles can travel through your pipes and radiators, causing strange noises as they go.

Bleed your radiators, starting at the top of your home and working down – you can do this yourself with a radiator key. It's also important to make sure a Gas Safe engineer services your boiler once a year, too.

Beastly banging

If you hear a strange banging, rattling or vibration outside, that’s a tell-tale sign something is wrong with your guttering. Andy advised getting a specialist out to check the brackets and pipes.

Spooky scratching

Scratching is usually a sign of mice. If you suspect mice in your home, call in pest controllers and fix up your house to prevent another infestation.

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