A phantom hitchhiker scared the life out of a motorist travelling along the A38 in 1975.

Rain was lashing down when the minivan driver spotted a man thumbing a lift just past the Droitwich Golf Club junction.

He pulled over and opened the passenger door but the hitchhiker had vanished. A search around the vehicle found no trace of him. ”I drove off as fast as I could,” said the driver. ”It was very frightening.”

The A38 phantom struck near Upton Warren in 1991 when it stepped into the path of an oncoming car before disappearing.

In both instances the figure was wearing a long coat with the collar turned up.