THERE were plenty of spooky sights in Hexham at the weekend as families flocked to the town centre for the return of the much-anticipated Spook Night.

Creepy characters wandered the town’s streets on Saturday as people gathered for the annual Halloween celebration, with the crowds maintaining their strong reputation for spectacular costumes.

The attractions centred around Beaumont Street, Market Place and the Abbey Grounds, and fancy dress competitions were packed with entries and held throughout the afternoon for both children and adults – and even pets.

Meanwhile there was plenty going on to keep all ages occupied, including fun fair rides, games, stalls and food and drink.

Many organisations in the town got involved, and visitors could find skeletons in Hexham Abbey, a Halloween skull trail at the Old Gaol and spooky storytelling at Cogito Books.

The Forum Cinema showed Halloween-themed films, with options for both children and adults, and ghost stories could be heard at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre.

The ever-popular tradition of pumpkin and turnip carving proved popular with visitors, while pumpkin lanterns could be found lighting up the bandstand.

Large crowds gathered around the bandstand where they were captivated by spooky dancing at 6pm and 7pm, during two impressive and atmospheric performances by the Studio K dance group.