Clampdown comes after a rash of attacks, including one incident when a youngster dressed as a clown hit a passer-by 30 times with an iron bar
The mayor of a French town has slapped a ban on people dressing up as clowns after a string of attacks from costume-wearing yobs.
A rash of assaults from "evil" clowns has plagued parts of France, with reports of smiley-faced attackers wielding pistols, knives and baseball bats.
In one incident in the city of Montpellier in southern France a 35-year-old man was hit 30 times with an iron bar as a man dressed as a clown tried to rob him.
He was jailed for four months.
Now the mayor of Vendargues, near Montpellier, Pierre Dudieuzere, has issued a complete ban on clown costumes.
The area, which has a population of around 6,000, is believed to be the first to clampdown on the outfits.
Official Bruno Giraudo said France wants to "avoid any disruption... by evil clowns".
He added: "It's about protecting children by preventing any ill-intentioned clowns from mixing with residents."
Police have arrested more than a dozen teenagers following the attacks and the creepy craze has even sparked the set up of anti-clown vigilante groups.
A rule on Vendargues' website said the ban was "absolute" for Halloween and will stay in force throughout November for everyone aged 13 and older.
As a result, any teenager wanting to dress as a clown will have to ask for authorisation.
Last week, a 19-year-old received a six-month suspended jail sentence for threatening passers-by while dressed as a clown in the town of Bethune.
And 14 teenagers dressed as clowns were arrested outside a school in Agde, southern France, last Saturday.
On Monday, a 14-year-old dressed as a clown was arrested near the capital Paris for attempting to attack a woman.
Clown incidents have also cropped up in Britain.
In July a man walked into a shop in Liverpool dressed as a clown and demanded money from staff.
And last year 'The Northampton Clown' became a global sensation and sparked a series of copycat incidents after he was spotted standing motionless in a string of public places.
Our sister paper the Sunday People eventually unmasked the clown as student Alex Powell.
Earlier this month, a mystery clown was reportedly scaring children in Portsmouth by lurking in streets and shops and stroking people.
A 15-year-old schoolboy was believed to be behind the creepy prank.
