TERRIFYING tales of snarling supernatural beasts prowling the eerie back alleys of Worcester in a frenzied hunt for human flesh are nothing new - King John himself was rumoured to be a werewolf.

Old legends tell of monks digging up his body from Worcester Cathedral after hearing a blood-curdling howl from inside his tomb, or so mediaeval chroniclers would have it.

Cynics may stifle a giggle at the thought of the re-animated corpse of a king of England in the clutches of a feral frenzy, his crown perched precariously on his head as he chases monks around gloomy cathedral cloisters.

But the ancient belief that men are driven mad by the moon is being taken seriously enough by Sussex police.

The force stepped up patrols after crime rose significantly in Brighton during eight of the last 12 full moons. Their counterparts here in West Mercia are not putting extra bobbies on the beat.

A spokesman for South Worcestershire police said: "We have no evidence that the period of the full moon is busier than any other. We do not allocate overtime on the basis of lunar phases."

Some psychologists believe in what is called the "biological tides theory" where the moon is said to effect water in the brain, just as it does the sea, causing violent changes in human behaviour.

To this day, lunar cycles are the basis for the word lunatic.

Roger Cocks, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Worcester, said there was no proof of a link between the moon and madness and offered a more practical explanation for any rise in crime during a full moon.

He added: "Light at night makes it easier to see your victim or navigate to the scene of the crime. Establishing the causal link between the moon and behaviour is the problem."

Scepticism comes from another, more surprising, source - gothic horror writer and artist Glenn James of Malvern Road, St John's, Worcester - who believes some of the theories have a silver bullet with their name on it.

Mr James, aged 37, is the author of several horror novels about Skaler, a vampire who rebels against his would-be master, the ancient vampire Prince Germane.

Skaler becomes a vampire after he is bitten by Prince Germane in Venice in 1291 at the time of the Third Crusade but refuses to become his slave, which sparks a deadly bat and mouse game between them.

One of the main characters in the Skaler Stories is incisive Victorian barrister and werewolf Jasper Thames who has an unnerving talent for sniffing out courtroom liars and perjurers and then hunting them down in beast form.

Mr James, who has completed extensive research on the subject of werewolves, takes a down-to-earth stance for a fiction author, attributing much of the myth to human delusions.

He said: "I don't actually see a link with lunar influence but whether other people make a link within their own mind is quite another matter. Lycanthropy is traditionally thought to be the disease of the werewolf. Within their own mind there is perhaps an existing imbalance that convinces them they can become a werewolf."

HOWLING AT THE MOON: THE FACTS1. A werewolf in folklore is a person who transforms into a wolf or wolflike creature' through magic, witchcraft, a curse or a pact with the devil. The transformation is often triggered by the full moon.

2. The idea that a werewolf can be killed by a silver bullet is a relatively recent addition to the legend. So is the notion that someone bitten by a werewolf will become one in turn.

3. The name werewolf comes from wer (Anglo-Saxon for man) and wulf (Anglo-Saxon for wolf). The word has also been linked to the Old Norse vargr, meaning rogue or outlaw.

4. Tales of werewolves were thought to originate in Ancient Greece and Rome. The philosopher Plato was one of the earliest figures to write on the subject of humans behaving like wolves.

5. Many people put to death in the Middle Ages were said to genuinely believe they were wolves, even though no one else could see any physical change in them. This rare clinical disorder is linked to psychosis. James I decreed people who believed they were werewolves were suffering from depression.

6. Viking warriors believed they could take on the characteristics of animals, including wolves and bears.

7. The word berserker' or berserk' comes from the word for bear skin.

8. Vikings also wore wolf pelts, believing they could take on the animal's characteristics.

9. In parts of Spain and Portugal, people believed the seventh son was at risk of becoming a werewolf. Being a werewolf did not make you very popular, especially in France where thousands of werewolves' were put to death by the authorities.