A book featuring spooky stories from across the Island has hit the shelves after a year of planning.

Folklorist and author Neil Arnold has been working on his 15th book, Haunted Isle of Sheppey, since spring last year.

It is made up of seven chapters – Shivers at Sheerness; Mysterious Minster; Quirky Queenborough; Supernatural Leysdown; Weirdness at Warden Bay; Eerie Eastchurch and Haunted Harty.

To compile his terrifying tales, the 39-year-old has been looking through archive copies of the Times Guardian and spoken to dozens of residents about their own experiences as well as visiting some of our most famous ‘ghost inhabited’ buildings.

He says the book is packed with photos so doesn’t rely on legends and he promises a real mix of ghostly smugglers, hideous hellhounds, phantom fishermen, haunted houses, creepy cliffs, ghost-infested docks and even spooky smells and much more.

Landmarks including Shurland Hall, Warden Manor and the Abbey Gatehouse also all make an appearance.

Mr Arnold, who runs Kent Big Cat Research and has spent lots of time investigating the mysterious Sheppey beast, said: “I’m not a great believer but I do like finding out about old stories and shedding new light on them.

“It was great going on several trips to the Island – because it’s mostly marsh it meant I had to work a lot harder to find stories and met some great people and I was also able to visit some strange properties and places.

“It was one of the most interesting to write.”

Signed copies of Haunted Isle of Sheppey are available from Neil for £11 including postage by phoning 07851602853. Alternatively, search on Amazon for the title.