Where's Buffy When You Need Her? Sharpen your stakes and get out your garlic, apparently Britain is being invaded by an "underground network" of real-life vampires.
A top academic claims that there are groups of people in almost every sub culture who drink blood and drain energy from human beings, but their deep-rooted vampire laws only allow them to do it ethically.
The psychology lecturer has created an online survey he hopes vampires will complete as he insists this alternative section of society are "not mad or mentally ill."
Dr Williams said: “This is a subculture that exists in every country, especially in the West.
“They are a group of people who drink blood and drain energy from people, but their well-established laws mean they know who it can and can’t be taken from.
“For example Sanguine vampires receive blood from willing donors who they can only cut on certain parts of the body and they are forbidden from taking too much.
“There are also Psychic and Hybrid vampires - as well as blood donors, role-players and enthusiasts who are also part of the community. It is fascinating and all very real.”
Dr Williams is aiming to help society understand vampires better and reduce the fear around them.
“I don’t want to label them as mad, bad, dangerous or only interested in Gothic culture and graveyards. They’re just a group of people we need to know more about," he said.
“The psychology of vampires is so interesting and I genuinely don’t believe it is linked to mental illness or madness.
“It’s a religious belief - we all have different belief systems and for many people vampirism is a genuine way of life.
“Vampires are not dangerous. There are around 15,000 in the UK who call themselves vampires and with another 30,000 being donors.”
