HALLOWEEN may be the time of year associated with dressing up as ghosts and making jack-o’-lanterns but police are reminding Middlewich shop owners to be mindful of mischief-makers.

A letter, asking local businesses to be mindful and restrict the sale of eggs and flour to young people, was sent out by the constabulary aiming to reduce the amount of incidents involving these items used as missiles.

PCSO Lorraine Meggs, said: “We are asking shops to be mindful when young people who come in to buy eggs and flour as they could be used as missiles and cause damage to residents’ homes.”

In particular PCSO Meggs highlighted the problem of vulnerable people being targeted.

She added: “We need to work together as a community to stop this sort of thing.”

As well as the letter, officers will be on foot patrol on October 31 and parents supervising their children should look out for signs asking trick-or-treaters not to knock on the door.

Poplar Stores, in Poplars Drive, was one of the businesses to receive a letter and owner Alex Fisher is glad that the police are bringing the potential trouble to notice.

“We are very much a community based store, we know our customers well enough to know if they might use the eggs and flour for anti-social behaviour over Halloween,” she said the 42-year-old.

Mrs Fisher is hoping for a visual presence from Middlewich police, she added: “Friday and Saturday night are going to be interesting.”

The neighbourhood policing team also recently supported a performance at Middlewich High School called ‘Fingers Burnt’.

The play highlighted the causes and effects of anti-social behaviour during Halloween and Bonfire night to the pupils dealing with problems such as peer pressure and the dangers of fireworks.

PCSO Meggs was delighted that the school was taking action about the police’s concerns and hoped it would have an impact on the children.

She urges trick-or-treaters to be mindful about which houses they knock on and expects shop owners to challenge young people buying eggs and flour in case it leads to Halloween high jinks.