Reports that terrifying creatures are on the loose in Wimbledon have turned out to be a monster hoax.

Over the past year, residents have been asked about strange events on the common by an American film crew.

But it turns out they were becoming unwitting stars of the Man Eating Beast of Wimbledon Common - a new spoof documentary by director Dominic Stinton.

Stinton, who took a short feature to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival two years ago, has turned the camera on his home town for his latest production.

The 25 minute film features an American television reporter - actually a Canadian actress - quizzing local people on reports of a man eating creature stalking the common.

Stinton said: “People were completely taken in. We had branded microphones and equipment made up - we really looked the part.”

He said the project had shown how keen residents were to go along with outlandish stories when asked about them on camera.

“I think a lot of people will say anything to get on TV,” he said.

A free screening of the feature, which was filmed between early 2008 and the start of this year, is set to take place in Raynes Park on July 2.

The director compared his film to Sacha Baron Cohen’s hits Borat and Bruno, in which the British comedian tours America posing as a bumbling Kazakh journalist and an outrageous Austrian fashion designer.

Stinton is currently pitching his film to television channels, and hopes to take it to a wider audience.

In 2007 Stinton’s documentary, a portrait of Walthamstow Market, was a surprise hit at Cannes. Next week’s screening will take place at the Apostles Bar in Approach Road from 7pm.

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