THERE will be plenty of people across Worcestershire taking part in Halloween parties and celebrations tonight. There will also be plenty of people for whom October 31 represents an annual night of misery.

The American trick or treat tradition that – like the school prom – seems to have crossed the Atlantic with a vengeance in the last few decades can be an experience filled with fear and intimidation for those on the receiving end.

We would ask that parents whose children are taking part in the activity tonight keep a close eye on their youngsters.

And we would plead with older children to consider the effect their actions – however innocently intended – can have on the elderly in particular.

There is a wrongly held belief that refusing to take part in this activity means a householder deserves a ‘trick’ as retribution.

For a small minority of youngsters that becomes an excuse for petty vandalism using eggs or flour or worse.

Such items should not be sold to youngsters in the run-up to tonight’s events.

Tonight should be an enjoyable experience for those who wish to celebrate Halloween.

But it should not become the stuff of nightmares for those who do not.

Many people across the county will be putting up notices or posters making it clear they do not wish to be bothered by trick or treaters.

Their wishes should be respected.