York Maze today welcomed its first visitors for spine-tingling fun despite cancelling its annual Hallowscream.

Normally the attraction near Dunnington would use 100 actors to lift the hair on the back of visitors' necks and generally scare the living daylights out of them at five haunted houses.

But coronavirus restrictions have made it impossible to hold the annual October thrills and screams.

However York Maze is going ahead with Hallowtween, the version of spooky fun for children aged 10 to 15 and what it calls "adults of a nervous disposition".

It opened today.

No actors are involved in the four haunted houses, thus enabling social distancing to take place.

Any young person and any adult wanting to be scared stiff will have to book a ticket in advance on www.hallowtween.co.uk.

The four houses, Corny's Cornevil, Barnaggedon 3D, The Singularity and The Flesh Pot, a new addition this year, feature Hallowe'en owls, creepy creatures, special effects, animatronics and illusionists performing death-defying acts on stage.

There is also a food court.

Hallowtween runs until Sunday November 1.

York Maze was unable to open its maize maze this year because of the pandemic.