PUMPKINS are popping up in people’s windows for a Halloween with a difference.

This year’s festivities may have been overshadowed by the scary prospect of Oxford going into tier two of coronavirus restrictions, but residents are still doing the best they can to celebrate.

The Oxfordshire Pumpkin Festival ends tomorrow after holding markets across the county for the last week, with stallholders encouraging visitors to eat, rather than throw away, their squash.

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Nina Osswald, of organiser Good Food Oxford, said: “The care people have for cooking has grown during lockdown.

“It’s a really good time for this message, especially as everyone realises how important it is to support local farms."

Meanwhile, Radley College biology teacher Stephen Giddens felt a Covid-themed pumpkin was the most appropriate design for 2020.

The house-master has previously created 3D portraits of unpopular world leaders, but the virus trumped even the least popular politician.