A GHASTLY murder scene greeted visitors to a village s annual fundraising event over the weekend. A Mid-Flamstead Murder scene was one of the highlights of the now famous Flamstead Scarecrow Festival, a three-day charity event which splits the proceeds

A GHASTLY murder scene greeted visitors to a village's annual fundraising event over the weekend.

A "Mid-Flamstead Murder" scene was one of the highlights of the now famous Flamstead Scarecrow Festival, a three-day charity event which splits the proceeds between the Hertfordshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre (HMSTC) in Letchworth and the Friends of St Leonard's in Flamstead.

The attractions included over 120 scarecrows depicting famous characters like Mozart, Stepcrow and Son and Cruella de Ville as well as a Pony Club Camp and a Cockney Sparrow.

In addition there was plenty of other attractions including a watercolour painting demonstration in St Leonard's Church.

This year the residents of Flamstead proved to be more creative than ever and thousands of visitors converged on the village between Friday and Sunday to vote for their favourites.

A spokesperson for the organisers said: "We were delighted that numbers seemed slightly up on previous years especially as the weather was poor on Friday. We are very fortunate that the villagers have this fantastic spirit and join in making these wonderful scarecrows. Without them we would have no show."

Other attractions on the day included puppet shows, bell ringing and English Miscellany Folk and Morris Dancers.