The coronavirus is impacting on all our lives, not least our children and in a normal year, as we approach Halloween, children would be out and about trick or treating, but this year is different and the usual fun puts people at unnecessary risk.

So this year we need to be creative.

South Yorkshire PCC Dr Alan Billings said: “In Tier three, which we in South Yorkshire find ourselves, trick or treating is off the cards, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop, we can have just as much fun at home or in the safety of our household bubbles.

“The last thing anyone wants is for the police to have to get involved so this year we would like to invite you to share with us all the ways that you are getting spooky this Halloween without breaking the Tier 3 rules.”

We would love to see some pictures of you celebrating Halloween safely, so please send them in to us either on Facebook or Twitter: @SYPCC or by emailing them in to us here: [email protected] so we can share them and give other people some Tier 3 friendly Halloween ideas.

Struggling for ideas? How about some of these:

• Dress up in your scariest outfits and tell spooky stories or watch your favourite scary films.
• Get yourselves dressed up and go pumpkin spotting in groups of six or less. Every time a pumpkin is spotted a sweet treat can be given by the adults in the group.
• Get crafty and make your own Halloween decorations, decorate outside of your house and see who has the ghostliest manor on your street.

Dr Billings continued: “We all have a responsibility now to get ourselves through what could be a very difficult period and to keep ourselves, our families and friends, and our neighbours, as safe as we possibly can.”