North Yorkshire has been named the region with the most haunted hotels in the country according to a new study.

The study by NoDeposit365.com, released just in time for Halloween, ranked areas based on the number of reportedly haunted hotels.

North Yorkshire topped the list, with 25 hotels rumoured to be home to ghostly apparitions, while County Durham ranked ninth with 13.

Guests have reported hearing eerie laughter, disembodied footsteps, and seeing shadowy figures moving through hallways.

Other counties with a high number of haunted hotels include Devon, Kent, and Norfolk.

Kent has 24 haunted hotels, one of which is said to be visited by the ghost of a 16th-century guardsman seen standing at the foot of guests’ beds.

In Devon, coastal inns are rumoured to be haunted by ghostly sailors and shipwreck survivors.

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Norfolk's Scole Inn in Scole is said to have the sound of galloping hooves from a highwayman who rode through to avoid capture.

Olivia King, a data expert for Nodeposit365.com, said: "We’re excited to share this new ranking of the UK’s most haunted hotels just in time for Halloween.

"We usually analyse odds for gaming but enjoyed calculating the odds of where people might have a ghostly encounter in their local area – or where they might want to stay for a more ‘frightful’ Halloween.

"North Yorkshire and Kent, for example, are not only picturesque but also hotspots for ghost sightings."

The study drew information from Paul Lee’s Haunted Hotels Database, a collection of the UK’s most haunted locations.

Only those locations with multiple, verified paranormal incidents were included in the ranking.

Each site’s history was checked using Google Maps, British Listed Buildings, and local historical resources.

This was to ensure that entries had well-documented hauntings, verified locations, and authentic stories.

The study provides thrill-seekers with an idea of where they might want to book a stay this Halloween if they are looking for a spooky experience.

Other counties with high numbers of haunted hotels include Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire with 17 each, and Derbyshire, Durham, and Wiltshire with 13 each.