A HUSBAND and wife who recently took on a Taunton pub think they're being spooked by a ghost.

Kat and Martin Bowden believe a former monk is haunting the Vivary Arms.

The ghostly goings-on include a cloaked figure drifting along the hall, slammed doors, creaking floorboards, items disappearing, lights suddenly being turned on and bottles and glasses being moved.

"There's zero explanation," said Kat, who moved into the pub with Martin in January.

"We're closed at the moment (due to lockdown), but I don't like being downstairs on my own. If I hear a noise, I run away.

"It started when I saw a cloaked figure like a monk near the toilets late at night.

"We mentioned it to a local and they agreed there'd been sightings of a monk.

"The gent's toilet door is always open, but we often hear it creak shut, even when there's no-one in the pub except us.

"We've had stuff go missing. I put a chopping board on the side after washing it late at night and next morning it had completely gone.

"Lots of things such as bottles and glasses get moved overnight. The lights and the fruit machine suddenly get turned on.

"There's an old fan that's been disconnected for years. One day it suddenly started spinning like crazy and then just stopped dead."

One night just before closing time, Martin was in the bar with customers, while Kat was in the dining room.

Suddenly there was "a massive thump" and a book from the bookshelf in the hall had flown 15 feet across the floor.

Kat says there is a "strange sense" downstairs and if she is in the dining room, she gets a feeling there is sometimes "something in the bar area".

"Even in the living quarters upstairs, I hear doors slamming and creaking sounds like someone walking around," said Kat.

"We don't regret moving here, but we'd like to find more about the history.

"A lot of the customers say they sometimes feel something but they're not fussed by it."