DROITWICH Spa's history and the town's spooky goings on have made it into a book that charts the supernatural tales of Worcestershire.

'Ghosts, Murders and Scandals of Worcestershire' firstly gives details of Droitwich's salt history before going in to the spooky stories and situations residents have experienced over the years.

The book reads: "Droitwich once had the reputation of being such a town of troublemakers that officials organising a train journey for Queen Victoria refused to allow the train to stop at Droitwich railway station."

It also claims that the Riot Act had to be read in Droitwich following local elections between Unionist John Lyttleton and Radical Cecil Harmsworth in 1910.

One of the first scary stories mentioned is of the old workhouse that was opposite where Droitwich Spa Library now stands in Victoria Square. The building is now Lloyds Bank but before the old building was demolished there was a sighting of an unexplained figure that caused a fright to its owner.

The Westcroft pub also gets a mention in the book after an old lady was seen waiting at the bar before then vanishing into thin air as the pub was opening up.

Other stories of ghosts and poltergeists spotted at homes around the town are also noted in the book by author Anne Bradford.

She said: "You will see that there are some really spine-chilling tales for Droitwich and one, for Fernhill Heath, is so spine-chilling that it has inspired the illustrator to provide a picture for it."

"I have been collecting instances of paranormal experiences for about ten years. I realised that the humble ghost story captures history - the characters, the gossip, and many details such as contemporary noises, in a way that is beyond the history books.

"I only intended to do the one book but was persuaded otherwise - this is my seventh ghost book and my thirteenth book overall."

Ghosts, Murders and Scandals of Worcestershire is available from M & D Books in Droitwich High Street.