In 1979, a group of six children playing in Wollaton Park reported being chased by a troop of gnome-like figures with “pointed hats, long beards, and tiny cars” that vanished into the lake. The case became one of Britain’s strangest modern folklore encounters, as the children gave consistent, detailed accounts despite police involvement. The story has since grown into local legend, with occasional later reports of strange little figures seen darting through the undergrowth.