Oxfordshire is almost as famous for its ghosts and ghouls as it is for its history and heritage.

And as the county gears up for Halloween tonight, we look at some of the county's most haunted spots - and put a spooky video on our website.

In it, Oxford ghost tour guide Nuala Young recounts a creepy evening on The Mound at Oxford Castle. The site is said to be home to a number of ghosts, including Mary Blandy, the daughter of the town clerk of Henley, who was hanged there in 1752 for the murder of her father by poisoning.

Mrs Young has been leading people around the city's darkest alleys and graveyards for some time, but even she got more than she bargained for on one tour.

Among the county's most haunted spots is Minster Lovell where the ghost of Francis Lovell, who died during the reign of Henry VII, is supposed to cry and moan as he walks the ruins of the old hall.

The Bear Hotel in Woodstock is also rumoured to be haunted. Built in the 13th century, the hotel, which was a hideaway for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during the 1970s, is thought to have a female ghost which is said to haunt room 16, turning lights on and off and talking.

At the Oxford Playhouse, a woman in white with a veil is reported to float about, while not far away, St Sepulchre's churchyard, in Walton Street, is said to be home to ghosts of former deans and porters of Oxford University colleges.

The Rollright Stones, near Chipping Norton, are said to be the petrified bodies of a king and his band of knights who tried to take over England, but they were stopped in their tracks by a witch, who turned them to stone.

Mrs Young will be leading a Halloween Ghost Tour starting at 7.45pm tonight from the Oxford Information Centre, in Broad Street. She will explore the city's dark alleyways and recount little-known stories, ending at the most haunted place in Oxford.

The tours last for 90 minutes and cost £5 for adults and £3 for children.

No booking is necessary. For more information, call 01865 749459 or 07757283760.

Old paint may spread infection

Parents are being warned to take care with face paints they may use to make their children look ghoulish and scary on Halloween tonight.

Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards department found 22 face paint products did not carry adequate safety warnings - even though all were chemically safe.

Officers found products that did not carry information about how to avoid allergic reaction or infection, and many did not have a best before' date or adequate warnings about how long the product should be kept once opened.

Bacteria and yeast from the children's skin could grow to dangerous levels, resulting in skin infections such as impetigo and bacterial conjunctivitis, in people using the paints later.

All the labelling issues, which include meeting requirements for cosmetic products and lack of batch or lot numbers in addition to those described above, will be raised with the manufacturers and importers.

Nigel Strick, head of trading standards, said: "Our advice is not to use old face paints on children if the best before date on the product is missing or expired."

Mr Strick said face paints were often used on several children and then put away in a cupboard.