The Bestival Festival has found that clowns are no laughing matter - they've been forced to abandon plans for their fancy dress theme this year.

The Festival, held on the Isle of Wight, set a record for the biggest fancy dress party of all time last year when over 10,000 people adopted Wild West fancy dress (with your humble correspondent chipping in with a rather natty cowboy shirt) as bands including The Go! Team rocked the microphone.

However, festival organiser and radio DJ Rob Da Bank has admitted having to scrap this year’s planned clown theme after being inundated with phone calls from terrified coulrophobia sufferers.

He tells the BBC, “We have had so many people with clown phobias contact us, I am worried everyone might end up hiding in the woods."

Obviously Ronald McDonald has a lot to answer for.