Liverpool City Council has called in experts to study CCTV footage which appears to show a ghost in the grounds of Croxteth Hall.

Jason Karl, among ghost specialists drafted in to investigate, described the CCTV evidence as "intriguing", reports the Daily Telegraph.

He said: "Video footage of phantoms is very rare, and if this stands up to scrutiny it could be a very important piece of spectral evidence for the worldwide community of paranormal enthusiasts."

Councillor Berni Turner, Liverpool city council's executive member for the environment, said she was keeping an open mind about the investigation.

"I'm a huge believer in the paranormal and think this footage is really interesting," she added. "It's great to think that we may have ghosts walking around these beautiful grounds."

City bosses have suggested that the site could be haunted by the 7th Earl of Sefton, Hugh William Osbert Molyneux, who lived at the hall until his death in 1972.