A ghost hunter has revealed the creepiest encounters he has had with the paranormal – from seeing a seven-foot-tall apparition and children walking through walls, to even witnessing an attack during a seance.

Tony Ferguson, 37, from New Forest, claims to have experienced paranormal activity since he can remember – with one of his first encounters being a figure of a man with a grey, pale face as a child.

At first, he thought it was a "curse" as he was able to hear and see objects which the average person couldn't, so he began documenting his journey in a bid to prove himself.

Ever since, he has come across various spooky sights, including a ghost holding a lantern while exploring Nottingham caves, as well as a poltergeist slamming a door at Manor Farm school, Doncaster.

He even experiences “paranormal hangovers” after too much exposure to the other side.

In one of his creepiest explores, he recalls feeling someone watching over him while visiting Nottingham caves – which was accompanied by the smell of dead bodies.

"I kept seeing a monk figure every so often and there was this horrible smell which was like rotten corpse," Tony told NeedToKnow.online.

"After I reviewed the footage, I saw a gentleman who was holding a lantern and was in an area where the public can't get to.

"He was very tall and he proceeded to walk through the wall – it was very eerie.

In another encounter, Tony recalls "I was contacted by a member of the public [to visit Eling Tide graveyard] as the church is very old and in the Doomsday book, the graveyard is no longer active.

"There's been claims that a seven-foot-tall man roams, as well as a lady in a dress.

"I could feel something watching me the whole time I was there and then I saw a ghostly mist come from within the graves straight toward me.

"In the school, there had been reports of children being seen and when I entered, I could hear children upstairs as well as little feet running.

"I recreated being a teacher to get all the children to line up and as I did this, I heard a dragging sound followed by an extremely loud bang.

"I nervously laughed in shock, as the door was held by a very heavy weight and I could feel I wasn't alone."

Growing up, he recalls multiple unexplained scenarios, including seeing a figure of a man wearing a suit while visiting his grandparents' home.

As he was only 11 years old, he never mentioned this to his mother and used to cry whenever he stayed as he was petrified.

After a few years, Tony's grandparents revealed their encounters over the years – but used to live with it, as it became normal to them.

While he was shocked, he was thankful to hear this as it had validated his experiences as a child.

In one his earliest memories, he recalls seeing a young child walking backstage at his school and after relaying this to his teachers, he learned that the area was haunted.

He said: "I saw the child walk through a wall and it really creeped me out.

"At my grandparents, there were things moving on their own, footsteps being heard walking down the stairs and a young girl coughing.

"As their house dated back to the 1800s, we believe this girl struggled to breathe as she had whooping cough.

"I used to watch a programme called Strange But True which made me realise my experiences were real.

"For me, I wanted to see if there was a truth in the claims I had heard, as although I believe ghosts are real, I'm very sceptical.

"If a place is very active and we encounter lots of spirits or negative energy, I feel drained for about a day or two, which I call a 'paranormal hangover.'

"As I have experienced so much in adulthood, the once-scared child I was is no longer afraid.

"I understand the afterlife more and I'm happy to have had these experiences, as I've had them for a purpose."

Apart from using a camera, he believes that his own body is the best equipment to use as he's able to call out to any voices heard – using the camera to verify the sighting.

As with advances in technology, he prefers to go "old school" and only uses minimal equipment to help debunk claims of the footage being fake.

In a bid to help others, he's used his gift to give advice to those who have experienced hauntings in their home – with one man being "attacked" during a seance.

Tony said: "I knew something wasn't right and within a few minutes, a man dropped to the ground in agony, crying with pain.

"I rushed down to get him as I knew there was something trying to hurt him as he was the leader of the seance.

"This was in a chapel of a prison, and for me, that's a no-go while ghost hunting.

"However, he was grateful I got him out and while he didn't understand what had happened, I explained the situation.

"I've been approached by television shows [before] and I feel my approach to others is different, which leads to interactions.

"I've been on Jack Osbourne, Paranormal Caught on Camera and Unexplained before too."

Now, Tony has fallen in love with his "gift" and says that the only thing which will stop him from ghost hunting is bad health.

He added: "You would be more vulnerable to negative things and this drains you enough, especially when you get an interaction.

"If I had a constant haunting, this would only encourage me to document it and see who is doing this.

"My best advice is to remember that these people were once living like us – talk to them like you would a normal person and ask questions.

"It's the way I work and I get amazing responses.

"Also, go back to the same locations, as the more times you go, the more interaction you'll get if the spirits there like you.

"It's now become a very big passion of mine and I really hope my story will encourage others to go out there.

"I personally believe this was meant to be and that I was always meant to do this."

ENDS