CHESHIRE residents have been urged not to dump their pumpkins in the woods.

Delamere Forest has issued a word of warning to anyone planning to discard of their Halloween creations.

As they are not natural to the area, pumpkins can be dangerous for wildlife.

A Forestry England spokesperson for Delamere Forest said: “Now spooky season is over, don’t be a rubbish visitor!

“Ignore online tips and tricks encouraging people to toss their pumpkins in the woods.

“It’s not natural to the forest environment and can make some wildlife poorly.”

Approximately 24 million pumpkins are sold in the UK each year around Halloween.

Instead of dumping them in the woods after the big day, Forestry England recommends people put them in the compost.

Pumpkins can also be used to make soup or as food at farms, zoos and animal charities.

Alternatively, you can save the seeds and try and grown your own for next year.

Andrew Stringer, head of environment and nature recovery at Forestry England, said: “There are lots of great ways to use your pumpkin after Halloween at home, and my favourites are to use the flesh to make a hearty soup, or to add to my compost.

“They are 90 per cent water so are a great composting material, adding a great source of nitrogen and moisture to my compost bin each year.”