JOKE shop owners in Witney got an unexpected fright this Halloween when police told them their spooky window display had sparked a series of complaints.

Getting into the spirit, Colin Brown and Kevin Rose of the Laughing Stock filled their window with creepy porcelain dolls – some hanging, some dismembered and some bleeding from the eyes.

Yet the pair were shocked when, four days before October 31, officers told them the display had caused offence.

Mr Rose, who has been running the shop with Mr Brown for 14 years, said: “We had a lady pop her head in to say children shouldn’t see the window.

“Someone else even had a go at a woman for standing her pram by the window.

“But we said ‘just look at all the adults and children in the shop.’ “The police obviously can’t do anything – they said they just had to let us know. It was our busiest Hallowe’en ever. A few people said it was probably the window that did it.”

The duo took inspiration from TV show Release the Hounds, where in one episode contestants had to run through a room filled with dangling, broken porcelain dolls.

Mr Brown added: “We could have done much worse. We actually toned down the window from what we were going to put in.

“Yes, we understand it might offend people but at the end of the day we had thousands of people in here.”

Peter Clift, from Witney, said he was worried children would be scared. He wrote to the shop to complain about the “horrific” display.

Mr Clift said: “I have young grandchildren, who I purposely did not take near the window after seeing the display, who might look and ask ‘why’. Why is that baby burnt? Why does it have blood coming out of its eyes?

“I contacted Trading Standards and they said it wasn’t in their remit to help but they said I could call the police. But I didn’t think it was that bad.

“It was a good display but it was unnecessary. You would expect it in London but not in sleepy old Witney.”

Mr Rose said: “Last year one woman was offended that we had a cross in the window.

“You’re never going to keep everyone happy.”

The latest window display was up for two weeks around Halloween but has now been taken down as Mr Rose and Mr Brown think about how to decorate for Christmas.