Two ghost hunters and a medium were spooked when they ran into a spirit in Highgate Cemetery without their specialist equipment.

North London Paranormal Investigators Mickey Gocool, 46, and Louise Roche, 23, were giving their newly recruited medium a tour of their patch when a tall, dark figure appeared in front of them.

Mr Gocool, who spoke to the Haringey Independent in April after bumping into singer George Michael in Highgate during an investigation, said: “That is the first time in my life that I felt frightened – it was just meant to be a tour for our new medium.

“I was really shocked because I didn’t know what to do."

The paranormal investigators, who claim they saw the ghost just after 10pm on Wednesday, June 20, arrived in Highgate without the specialist equipment they normally use to track and record spirits.

Mr Gocool said the team at first thought the ghost could have been a vampire rumoured to frequent Highgate Cemetery. But he now believes it is more likely to be the spirit of an undertaker because it was smartly dressed in a suit.

He added: “It really was not a sinister presence. He was a normal, average Joe Public but because he was so tall he actually looked like a vampire.”

Mr Gocool said the spectre was gaunt and pale but did not look menacing.

He said: "He looked like the sort of guy that you take home to meet your family."

The ghost, which vanished after a split second, was also a shock for new medium Gemma Louise Pugh who only started with the team six weeks ago.

However, they now plan to investigate the sighting and see if they can find out anything about its background in or around Highgate.

Lead investigator Mr Gocool, from Lordship Lane in Wood Green, describes himself as an investigator rather than a psychic. The team gathers supernatural evidence before allowing people to make up their own minds.

The team carries out investigations at houses and public spaces in and around north London, looking for evidence of supernatural activity.

Do you have a ghostly tale to tell? Contact reporter Hermione Wright with your supernatural story at haringeynews@london.newsquest.co.uk