ARGUMENTS have rattled around this ancient column over past weeks, regarding the so-called Galosher Man of bygone years. Some have dismissed him as a figment of the imagination and a ploy by parents to get their kids indoors before dusk.

But reader Patricia Speakman claims to have met the scary Galosher Man face to face when a schoolgirl.

The mysterious character was reputed to emerge at twilight, gliding silently around the district on rubber-cushioned feet. He was blamed for many petty thefts, including the stealing of buckets and washing from backyard lines. But Patricia, from Clock Face, says she actually encountered him in broad daylight. "There really was a Galosher Man. I am 57 now, but remember seeing him when I was a child living in Eccleston. I was off school and it was a lovely day, so the kitchen door was open. Mum, who was baking, had her back to the door. Something made me look round... and there he was!"

Patricia alerted her mother who challenged the creepy stranger. His only response was in making weird vocal sounds, so her spirited mother sent him packing. "But a few minutes later, we heard noises next door. Our neighbours were out for the day, but the custom in those times was to leave doors unlocked. We went round and, sure enough, he was inside there".

Patricia's mother threatened to call a policeman living nearby - and the intruder slid away silently. "We never saw him again".