'Don't turn Halloween into a Covid nightmare on your street' is the message from Herts public health teams.

They're asking families to arrange alternative Halloween activities so that children can enjoy themselves without taking the risk of going out in groups and calling at neighbours' homes.

Council leaders across Hertfordshire are encouraging people to celebrate Halloween safely, helping to save lives by preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

This year, many Halloween traditions such as trick or treating carry a risk and the county's message is clear: this Halloween, stick to a safer way of having fun.

Top five low risk activities:

1) Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them in your window, or outside. This year, why not carve a rainbow in your pumpkin?

2) Taking part in a local 'spot the pumpkin' trail throughout half term week, where people display pumpkin or Halloween pictures in their windows and you have to try and find them all with your family.

3) Organising a Halloween scavenger hunt, where children from your household are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for either in your home, or outdoors.

4) Having a virtual Halloween costume competition using zoom or Skype

5) Having a Halloween film night with your household

Three higher risk activities to avoid this Halloween:

Participating in traditional trick-or-treating, where treats are handed to children who go door to door

Attending crowded fancy dress parties or any party where there are more than six people

Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming

If you have any Covid symptoms, think you may have been exposed to someone with Covid, or you have been told to self-isolate, you should not participate in any in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out sweets to trick-or-treaters.

Jim McManus, Director of Public Health at Hertfordshire County Council said: "While Halloween is a great time of year for dressing up and having fun, this year we urge families to take part in lower risk activities, such as pumpkin carving or displaying spooky pictures, helping to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus to others.

"We don't want to be in a position where we have to introduce tougher measures and local lockdowns in Hertfordshire, but we need your help to avoid this."