GHOST hunters were 'busted' by the spooky goings-on at a museum site.

Dean Maynard, Danny Jones and Ron Wilson, who raise funds for a Newcastle cancer charity, asked to spend the night at Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum in Weardale.

But they found the experience just too tough and fled after just a few hours.

The team uses hi-tech equipment to photograph mysterious 'orbs' - said to be the life-force energy of ghosts, and to record dramatic temperature falls when they encounter spirits.

Mr Maynard, a solicitors clerk who is interested in anything paranormal, said: "We caught some orbs - the first manifestation or a ghost - at around 1am in the sleeping area of the mineshop, where the miners and washerboys slept during the week.

"The scariest thing by far though was when we went to the medieval cottage in the woods. When we came out we heard what sounded like a woman's voice shouting in the distance and that was very eerie. We finally left around 3am as the cottage experience had freaked us out a little.

"We were starting to hear and see things that were more down to our imaginations than were actually happening."

Despite their early departure, the team's six-hour stay is expected to raise about £200 for the Charlie Bear charity at Newcastle General Hospital.

Maureen Murray, for Killhope, said: "Some of the staff have their own stories to tell of things they have 'felt' while working at the mine so we weren't surprised when the team reported their findings."

Killhope is celebrating Easter with a giant egg hunt around the woods all weekend.