A west Oxfordshire village has become a scary place to live - with residents coming up with ingenious ideas to keep the crows at bay.

For the third year running, it is that time of year when gardens - and even the walls and roofs of houses - suddenly become inhabited by dozens of scarecrows.

Some are distinctly friendly, like the old lady sitting in a deckchair with her knitting, or a take on the local vicar sitting, Humpty-Dumpty like, on a stone wall.

Others prove that village humour is alive and well in Leafield.

But if you thought scarecrows were all just Wurzel Gummidge lookalikes, then think again.

One of the more outlandishly inventive depicts a keen gardener with his Wellington boots up in the air and his head burrowed into a composting bin.

This year, the annual scarecrow competition is timed to coincide with the village's first festival.

It starts on Friday, May30, and runs through to June 8, with a range of music and literary events to enjoy, as well as fun activities particularly aimed at children.

Jeanette Cayley, festival committee chairman, said the scarecrows were a way for all villagers to create and take part.

She said that in 2006, the organisers thought just five people would enter - but 38 scarecrows were dotted around the village "displaying great ingenuity and humour".

The overall winner was a milkmaid, but there were also a rock star, burglar, poetic gardener, a baby and an arresting cop.

The Navy Oak pub had its own outside chef, while in Fairspear Road there were various football fans.

Among the highlights of the festival are talks by crime novelists Colin Dexter and Ann Granger, a "poetry blast" for residents to read their own work, an evening with Graham Garden and a concert by Oxford Male Voice Choir.

For further details and information contact 01993 878893.