Moment thief runs from woman's home carrying grim reaper and 7ft clown
Hannah Hewitt, 45, says it's not just her family who will suffer after a thief destroyed her Halloween spooky display with the early-hours raid caught on CCTV
A brazen thief is seen running away with a grim reaper under one arm and a clown tucked under the other after striking a mum's Halloween display in the middle of the night.
Hannah Hewitt wows her neighbours in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, every October but with over week before the big night she is coming to terms with her doorstep display being totally wrecked by the raid. The 45-year-old has shown off her incredible Halloween efforts for more than 10 years.
Every year she looks to go one better than the last but says it is worth it for the families who visit from across Tameside and beyond. She was left "extremely gutted" when a callous criminal nabbed a new 7ft clown and a grim reaper from outside her home in the early hours of the morning.
CCTV footage shows the moment he approaches the property on Thursday. The thief appears to stop outside Hannah's home for a short time, before entering her front garden, the ManchesterEveningNews report. He then appears to return with one of the huge Halloween display items under his arm, before stopping to grab the other.
Once he has the two items, which Hannah says are worth £150, the thief appears to run back along Underwood Road away from the scene. "I don't do it for me," the mum said. "I do it for the kids that come to visit. They come in their hundreds. People come from all over, we had some from Wales last year.
"It costs more money each year as the competition gets better every year. I don't take donations, I do it off my own back. I don't buy cheap decorations as they don't survive our weather." Since sharing the CCTV footage from a neighbour across the road on social media, Hannah says she has received comments from other Tameside residents who have had their Halloween decorations pinched.
Hannah added: "I've a box full of stuff I don't use anymore. If someone doesn't have much money, they could approach me and I would give them away."
"But someone has gone out of their way to steal these. I was up at 4am this morning, waiting for him to return. I shouldn't have to keep waking up at 4am to check my display is OK."
Hannah reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police. The force has been approached for comment. It comes as a GP has warned trick or treaters that your Halloween-themed decorations could be causing you an array of symptoms that you could be blaming on a cold - or even Covid.
As spooky season commences, GP from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, Dr Neel Patel, has explained how you can avoid this - and what could be causing your symptoms.
Some people are too scared to walk down the street after Halloween lovers installed a decoration so creepy it has been giving adults nightmares. The Halloween decoration shows the torso of a man hanging from his arms with his internal organs hanging out as he screams in pain.