Letchworth trick-or-treaters suffered a Halloween nightmare last night after discovering sharp needles had been stuck into their sweets.
Children returned home to enjoy a well-earned sugar rush, only to find that razor sharp sewing pins had been inserted through lollies - with concerned parents posting images on social media.
The tampered sweets were handed in to Letchworth police who went out on additional patrols for the rest of the evening.
Mum-of-five Vikki Mann, who lives in Bursland, said she discovered the needles in her children's buckets after they returned from trick or treating around the residential streets of Monklands, and Abbotts Road.
Vikki said: "My partner took my eldest three children - who are aged two, three and four - around the local roads, and we made the point of only going to decorated houses, because you'd think they are the ones who want to get involved.
"There were a couple of houses who had left trays out on their porches, with a sign saying please help yourself to sweets. So it is possible people put the pins in when no-one was watching."
"I only realised what had happened at home later, when my two-year-old knocked over the bag of sweets. I went to pick them up from the floor, stabbing my thumb which started bleeding.
"I was thinking maybe it was a thorn, but then I saw a long pin sticking through the middle of a lolly. I was just so shocked. I immediately threw all the sweets away, because I didn't know what else had been done to them.
"I went over to our neighbours to let them know what was going on, and called the police.
"They came over right away, collected the lolly and said they'd be out on the streets for the rest of the evening.
"Why would somebody do this to young children? It's sadistic. What goes through people's minds?
"It's just so worrying for families with young children, especially in nice residential areas of Letchworth like ours. I can't see myself taking my kids out trick-or-treating next year."
A Herts police spokeperson said that police are "carrying out further enquiries" in relation to the incident.
If you have information which may assist enquiries, please contact 101 or report online at www.herts.police.uk/report.
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