QUIRK REPORTS — OFFICIAL CASE FILE
CASE NUMBER: QR-2026-00041
🗞️ SELLOTAPE STRIKES BACK: THE HAUNTING OF FLAT 7, RATTLING CROFT
Classification: Poltergeist Activity — Suspected
Date of Report: 2026
Date of Incident: 1997
Location: Flat 7, Rattling Croft, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, UK (First Floor)
Witness: Phil
Case Status: OPEN
WITNESS STATEMENT
In 1997, the witness — Phil, a resident of Flat 7, Rattling Croft, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham — was present in his first-floor flat along with his wife when a series of unexplained paranormal events occurred. Phil reports that on one occasion, a roll of Sellotape moved of its own accord from the hallway, rolling into the centre of the living room without any apparent cause. No person or animal was responsible for the movement, and the incident left both Phil and his wife deeply shaken.
Phil also reports a sustained and troubling secondary phenomenon: milk stored in the refrigerator repeatedly soured at an abnormal rate, which he believes to be consistent with known poltergeist activity. Phil describes the household as experiencing "lots of paranormal stuff" during the period of their residence at the flat.
"I was petrified. A little bit of wee actually came."
Phil's wife was present during at least the Sellotape incident and was reported to be extremely frightened. The activity at the flat appears to have ceased as abruptly as it began, with no recurrence reported after the incidents described.
EVIDENCE SUBMITTED
No photographic, video, or physical evidence was submitted alongside this report. Phil acknowledges this, noting that the account rests solely on personal testimony — his own and that of his wife, who was a corroborating witness at the time of the events.
Evidence Rating: Testimony only. No physical artefacts recovered. The Sellotape itself was not retained for analysis. The milk was presumably poured down the sink, which, paranormally speaking, is a waste of a perfectly good exhibit.
FOX'S ANALYSIS
Right, let me get my battered notebook out for this one, because Phil — Phil, mate — you have given me a cracker. A roll of Sellotape making its own way down a hallway in 1997 Chelmsley Wood? I have covered a lot of strange cases in my time, and I have to say, this one really sticks with me. And I make no apology for that pun whatsoever.
Now, some sceptics might say the Sellotape simply rolled. Floors are not always level. Vibrations from traffic, a passing lorry, a neighbour doing something inadvisable at two in the morning. Fair enough. But combined with the repeatedly souring milk? That is a pattern, and patterns are what separate a good story from a great story. As I always say — if something smells off, it is either a poltergeist or it is your fridge, and Phil checked the fridge. I would call that due diligence.
The emotional authenticity here is absolutely genuine. Phil did not dress this up. He did not claim floating furniture or voices from the walls. He told me exactly what happened, admitted he was terrified, and even — and I respect this enormously — admitted to a small involuntary personal incident of the trouser-dampening variety. That is the kind of raw, unembellished honesty that makes my reporter nose twitch. Nobody invents THAT detail to sound credible. Nobody.
The presence of a second witness — Phil's wife — lends this additional weight, even if she was not directly interviewed. Two frightened people in a first-floor flat in Birmingham, in 1997, watching the stationery move. You cannot make this stuff up. Well, you could, but why would you? There is no glory in a Sellotape hoax. That is not exactly the kind of story that gets you on the cover of a magazine.
I will say this — poltergeist activity is classically associated with emotional disturbance or stress within a household. I am not saying that was the case here, Phil, so do not write in. But it is worth noting. Poltergeists are basically the paranormal world's way of saying "I am here and I have unfinished business," which, frankly, sounds like every editor I have ever worked for.
Why did it stop? That is the question that keeps me up at night. Well, that and certain memories involving a spacecraft and a probe that was, shall we say, not scaled for a fox. But that is beside the point. The abrupt cessation of activity is consistent with poltergeist cases — they arrive, they make a mess, they leave. No forwarding address. No explanation. Just sour milk and traumatised residents. You have got to appreciate the drama of it, really.
My conclusion? Phil, you experienced something real. Something strange moved in Flat 7, Rattling Croft, and whatever it was, it had a flair for the theatrical. I mean — Sellotape. It could not have picked scissors? A stapler? Something with a bit more gravitas? Apparently not. This particular entity had a roll to play, and it played it.
I am not sorry about that one either.
CREDIBILITY RATING
Rating: 6.5 / 10
- In Phil's favour: Corroborating witness present. Emotional authenticity is high. Multiple phenomena reported (kinetic movement AND food spoilage). No exaggeration or embellishment detected. The involuntary personal incident is, in this reporter's view, the most convincing detail of the entire account.
- Working against Phil: No physical evidence retained. Single incident for the primary phenomenon. Twenty-nine years between event and report means memory degradation is a factor. The wife has not been interviewed independently.
- Overall: A credible, grounded account from a witness who clearly experienced genuine fear. Phil is not a showman. Phil is a man who watched his Sellotape move and has never quite forgotten it. That counts for a lot at Quirk Reports.
CLASSIFICATION
Primary: Poltergeist Activity — Suspected
Sub-classification: Kinetic Object Movement / Environmental Anomaly (food spoilage)
Dwelling Type: Residential flat, first floor
Duration: Unspecified period, single confirmed kinetic incident
CASE STATUS: OPEN
Recommended follow-up actions:
- Independent interview with Phil's former wife to corroborate account.
- Historical records check on Flat 7, Rattling Croft — prior occupants, any reported incidents.
- Enquiries with local Birmingham paranormal groups regarding activity in the Chelmsley Wood area during the mid-to-late 1990s.
- Phil is advised that, should the Sellotape ever reappear, he should attempt to photograph it before it moves. Or at the very least, keep a spare pair of trousers nearby.
Report filed by Fox Quirk, Founder, Quirk Reports. Case number QR-2026-00041. All witness details held in accordance with Quirk
