Police were called to 73 Halloween-related incidents last night The majority of the calls were to report eggs being thrown at houses, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour.

There were 27 calls in the Swindon area and 46 across the rest of the county High-visibility patrols were undertaken by neighbourhood policing teams and response officers. Parents were asked to be aware of their children's activities, many shops restricted sales of eggs and flour to children and a poster was produced for display in homes which did not welcome trick or treaters.

A police spokesman said: "Trick or treating is a harmless activity but some members of the community can become distressed by unexpected callers. The behaviour of people trick or treating can also be intimidating and even criminal with anti-social behaviour and graffiti occurring when people get carried away."

Inspector Nick Bancroft said: "Halloween this year has been a lot quieter than last year which is an extremely positive result for us.

"The measures that we put in place seem to have worked and I would like to thank everyone who worked with us to ensure the event went well.

"Inevitably there were a small number of people who used Halloween as an excuse to cause trouble. However, most people entered into the spirit of the occasion and I congratulate them on their excellent behaviour as they enjoyed themselves last night."

Wiltshire Police will be conducting similar high-visibility patrols on Monday 5 November to reassure and protect people enjoying bonfire night.