COULD Netley be the most haunted area in Hampshire?

Stories tell of when a fisherman heading spotted a spooky but serene apparition near Weston Shore - the Grey Lady of Netley Hospital. The phantom - a young nurse who committed suicide, according to some - glowed and hovered above the ground wearing an old-fashioned uniform.

Netley is also said to be haunted by the ghost of a monk from the old abbey and a servant woman who drowned herself after being jilted.

People in the area also claim to have seen the spirit of a nun who, when discovered to have been made pregnant by a monk, was punished by being bricked up alive, together with her child, in a wall.

In 1994 another man claimed to have seen a similar apparition, again thought to have been the Grey Lady, near Weston Shore.

The face of the ghost was unclear because of a dazzling light around the figure, but the phantom had her arms folded and was about 5ft 8in. She wore a frilly hat and a large pinafore.

When the military hospital in Netley was in use, staff were reluctant to visit a certain sluice room because they feared the Grey Lady could be lurking within.