TRICK-or-treaters have been asked to ‘be considerate of others’ when heading out for Halloween.

Dorset Police warned some homeowners may become distressed by strangers knocking on their door during the evening.

“Lots of people will be celebrating Halloween this year, but there are also lots of people who won’t be’, the force said.

“Your idea of Halloween fun might not be someone else’s.

“Be considerate of others and avoid calling at people’s houses when trick-or-treating if you aren’t sure they’d like to join in with Halloween. If in doubt, stick to the houses of people you know.

“As a rule of thumb, if they’ve got decorations outside their house then they’ll probably be open to trick-or-treaters.”

Dorset Police has also created a ‘Sorry – no trick or treat’ poster for people to download and place in their window on Halloween.

The poster is available on the Dorset Police website.