KIDS love getting into the Halloween spirit.

But parents will be horrified to learn that seven million scary costumes are thrown away in the UK each year.

7

That’s a lot of money wasted for one day of the year.

To save your purse, and the planet, try these tricks and treats . . . 

SWAP SHOP: Halloween costume swaps are popping up across the country.

Check out local libraries, community hubs and Facebook groups to see if there is one near you.

If not, you could organise your own.

Set a date, put the word out among friends, school groups or social media and give it a try.

With a tight time-frame this year, you could start small and aim to make it more of an event in 2025.

SPOOKY SAVINGS: Charity shops are the perfect place to put together a spooky Halloween costume on a limited budget.

You may be lucky to snap up a complete second-hand fright night outfit.

If not, use a charity shop find to put together your own look.

Look for a cheap wedding, bridesmaid or evening dress.

Add rips and fake blood stains, then go all out on some scary make-up.

SECOND-TIME SCARIES: Marketplaces like Vinted have grown hugely in recent years and they’re an essential stop for anyone looking for a Halloween costume.

Go to the Fancy Dress & Costumes section to pick up a bargain on a pre-loved outfit.

Little witches and wizards can pick up a scary look for under £5, including postage.

MAKE IT UP: Halloween costumes are two-a-penny, but it is shocking make-up that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Save on your outfit and go to town on your face effects instead.

Get a face paint pallet for under a fiver from a supermarket or Superdrug and use it to terrifying effect.

YouTube is packed with Halloween make-up tutorials to get you started.

• All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.

Deal of the day

7

LISTEN up – you can get JVC Deep Bass Bluetooth headphones for £20 at B&M, down from £40.

SAVE: £20

Cheap treat

7

TUCK into four Greggs frozen products from Iceland for £10, including a pack of four sausage rolls, £3.

SAVE: £2

What’s new?

ALDI wants to find Britain’s scariest Halloween house – and the prize is £1,000 of Aldi vouchers.

Send a snap of your decorated house – from this year or last – to aldiscariesthouse@clarioncomms.co.uk by Tuesday.

Top swap

7

7

Advertisement

WAKE up with a glow thanks to the Elemis Peptide4 Plumping Pillow Facial, £59, at uk.elemis.com, or look lively with Lacura Overnight Plumping Face Mask from Aldi, £5.99.

SAVE: £53.01

Little helper

KIDS can enjoy a free meal with the purchase of an adult main course at Frankie & Benny’s this half-term.

The offer runs from tomorrow until Friday, November 1.

Advertisement

Shop & save

7

BE Halloween-ready, with three pumpkins for the price of two at Hobbycraft.

They come in different colours and sizes, from £1 to £20.

SAVE: Up to £20

PLAY NOW TO WIN £200

7

JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.

Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.

Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.

The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!

HEARTBROKEN punters have lamented a town’s bar as the “best place to boogie” after it announced it is closing down “forever”.

Revolution Bath is shutting next month the venue announced on Facebook amid a string of closures for troubled owners Revolution Bars Group.

2

2

Advertisement

In a post it said: “Our team is absolutely heartbroken and we want to thank you so much for partying with us!

“We would love for you to visit us again before we close and you can up until the 2nd of November!

“If you have a booking after the 2nd November a member of our team will be in contact ASAP. Love team Revs Bath.”

The bar is set to host Halloween Till Revs Do Us Par Revolution Finalè Closing Halloween Party.

The event runs until 3am.

Writing in the comments, one person said “best club in Bath” and another added “end of an era”.

A third person said: “Only place I liked to end up in! Very happy memories of going in there for one drink after work then ending up out all night!”

One reveller admitted the bar has a very special place in his heart for an important reason.

He said: “Met my amazing wife here and nearly 15 years later still going strong.”

STRUGGLING

The company’s plans to close 25 locations across the UK is part of a restructuring plan granted approval in the High Court.

It will mean the popular chain can avoid insolvency after struggling since the pandemic.

After the overhaul is completed, the company said it will operate 65 venues.

This will consist of 27 Revolution Bars, 15 Revolucion de Cuba bars, 22 Peach Pubs and one Founders & Co site.

A full list of locations affected have not yet been revealed, but it will affect loss-making bars.

The company has fallen on hard times in recent years, as the cost of living crisis and young Brits drinking less has damaged sales.

The boozer needed the court to sanction its overhaul which it hopes will restore its finances after a difficult few years following the pandemic.

It is hoped that the High Court ruling will draw a line under a difficult few months for the business.

Commenting in August, executive Rob Pitcher said: “The group is now well diversified across the key brands, providing a more secure financial base and we look forward to the future with improved optimism.

“We know this has been a very difficult period for all of our teams both in our sites and in our support office and I’d like to thank them for their support and resilience.”

This is not the first time the brand has shuttered pubs.

In 2020, the bar chain announced plans to shutter six sites as it struggled to keep afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

More recently in July, Revolution Bars Group revealed to The Sun it would shutter 11 locations on August 11 as part of a major overhaul.

A WINNING Postcode Lottery player didn’t even know he had entered the competition before a £200,000 cheque knocked at his door.

Alison and Tim Browne, from Breaston, Derbyshire, were gobsmacked when they discovered the lucrative jackpot.

3

3

Advertisement

The couple were one of three households who scooped the windfall in the Postcode Lottery Millionaire Street draw today.

But, Tim admitted he wasn’t even aware wife Alison have even entered the competition.

He said: “I can’t believe it. I’m just glad she didn’t phone to tell me the amount when I was driving!

“I didn’t even know she was doing People’s Postcode Lottery, to be honest.”

An overjoyed Alison added: “It’s a fantastic feeling and I can’t stop smiling. But we’re going to have a big, big party on the street.

“It’s wonderful. We’ve known George and Paul for over 30 years and we get on really, really well.

“It’s a lovely street, lovely neighbours, and a lovely place to live.

“I don’t know what to think. This is life-changing, it really is.”

The pair are plan to splurge the cash on a lavish holiday to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

And, they will finally be able to tick riding on the iconic Orient Express off their bucket-list.

Tim said: “It means everything. We always wanted to do the train trip across the Rockies in Canada and also the Orient Express.

“There’s lots of trips that we’ve never done and have never been able to do. And now we’ll be able to do them and that’s fantastic.”

Alison, a freelance school music exam coordinator, said: “We’ve been married 43 years now, but our 40-year anniversary fell during lockdown so we weren’t able to celebrate properly. Now we can do that.”

The mum-of-two said their jackpot has seen her drop half a stone within a week due to lack of sleep.

“But it’s good! You have dreams that you have won lots of money, but then you wake up and think, ‘Damn, it’s a dream’,” she added.

“This is how I felt every night this week when I managed to get to sleep at 3am. Then I woke up and thought, ‘No, it’s not a dream!’

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would win this much.”

The couple share a son Matthew, who is autistic, and hailed the win for “the security this will bring him”.

Meanwhile, older son James, joked: “I’ll be happy with a pint in Spoons. It’s £6 a pint!”

Tim revealed he also dreams of welcoming a new puppy into the family to keep Pointer Finlay company.

The musician told how a new Gore-Tex waterproof jacket wouldn’t go a miss either.

Alison laughed: “If we get another dog we’ll need a house with a bigger garden.

“My son and daughter-in-law don’t want us to get another dog because they have to look after them if we go away.

“We’re all going away to Wales on holiday together next week so we can celebrate there.”

How to play the People’s Postcode Lottery?

For just £12 a month, players can sign up through the official website to have a chance of winning millions of pounds.

Once signed up, players are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of each month.

Tickets play for the Daily Prize, worth £1000 and revealed every single day.

Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 for Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.

Advertisement

People’s Postcode Lottery also offers a £3million Postcode Millions draw each month – where your ticket plays for a share of the cash prize fund.

Winners are notified by email, text, post, or phone call, depending on the prize they win.

Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.

It comes as another lucky player who scooped a life-changing Postcode Lottery prize refused to believe she had won – until a key sign revealed it was fate.

Meanwhile, another punter doubled their £200,000 Postcode Lottery win by using a clever trick – make sure you don’t miss out.

Jo Deighton from Shoreham, West Sussex, was gobsmacked when she scooped nearly an eye-watering quarter of a million pounds.

Elsewhere, one Brit who bagged a £410,000 jackpot told how no one believed her – not even her husband.

Leyla Eaton’s jaw dropped after discovering she’d scooped the eye-watering prize.

The mum-of-two entered when she was struck by a “strong feeling” a huge windfall was coming her way.

3

A MILLIONAIRE’s paradise is home to A-list celebs and lined with Rolls-Royces and Bentleys – but it’s kept top secret.

Houses on one of Stockwell’s more affluent roads cost a whopping £1.18 million on average.

11

11

Advertisement

11

11

11

11

Advertisement

Some pads in the south London neighbourhood even come equipped with a gym, pool or home cinema. 

Local architect Louis, 47, once designed a glass house for a diamond vendor who wanted a room for his enormous collection of cacti.

The project cost the homeowner over £15,000 – just a drop in the ocean for a man who owns a Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

His house is also adorned with 12 columns to represent the tribes of Israel, Louis added..

Showbiz stars Joanna Lumley and Toby Jones also live in the leafy neighbourhood.

Theatre director Zoe, 33, said her whole road is filled with people from the industry.

Zoe has lived in her godparents’ house ‘for mates rates’ for seven years.

She said: “Things have definitely changed. The post office closed down because of gentrification. Everyone protested.”

Just a few minutes away in a multiple story house lives artist Richard Rees, the President of the Pastel Society.

He said: “Large houses are easily worth £2.5 million plus and are very hard to get hold of.”

Stockwell is just a stone’s throw away from the Oval cricket ground and a short tube ride from the city centre.

Finance tech worker Sam Hanfield said this makes the area particularly appealing for rich Londoners.

Sam, 37, added: “Brixton Market 10 years ago was very different to what it is now.

“It’s much more gentrified. You can see that in the types of people wandering around.”

Sam bought one of the area’s beautiful Georgian houses for a whopping £1.2million – and reckons it has nearly doubled in value.

He said: “The street I’m on isn’t just lawyers and investment bankers, there are a lot of creators. My neighbour’s house used to be a squat.”

Writer Paul, 67, has lived in the area for 25 years and keeps his Tesla on the street outside his house. 

Like Sam, he’s also bagged himself a gorgeous Georgian villa, which he reckons is worth about £2 million now.

He said: “When we moved here the houses weren’t expensive but now they’re a lot of money.”

Despite keeping his EV on the street, Paul said he’s never been the victim of any crime.

But he said his niece did have her handbag stolen when she was walking one night.

Other longtime residents say they are adjusting to the area’s new-found glam.  

Andrew, 70, said: “There are some seriously affluent people around here.”

11

11

Advertisement

11

“Those two houses are now a million and a half were squatted in when we moved in.”

He added: “There are lots of bankers who have moved in the last five years.

“There are people who are putting a gym and theatre in the basement. It’s the sort of thing you would find in Kensington.”

Inigo Woodham-Smith, 27, lives at home with his mother – a masseuse and spiritual healer – just down the road.

Pizza chef and occasional photographer Inigo attended Emmanuel School in Battersea, which costs almost £25,000 a year. 

He said: “Stockwell is fantastic, we’ve got a Pret and we’ve got the Swan – it doesn’t get better.”

One café in Stockwell sells coffee beans – with notes of champagne – for a whopping £29.

For something a little stronger, residents can head over to their local off-license and pick up a bottle of champagne for £150.

The corner shop has a whole shelf dedicated to pricey booze – from quality whisky to Grey Goose vodka.

11

11

Advertisement

A SIMPLE tool could help to reveal if state pension households are being underpaid – and it’s totally free and takes just a few minutes.

A series of government blunders mean that hundreds of thousands of people have been paid less state pension than they should have.

1

The mistakes disproportionately impact women, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only group affected.

Depending on why your pension was underpaid, you might get the backdated payments automatically, or you might have to apply.

It’s possible that you fall into more than one category, as there is some overlap, so you may need to follow a couple of different processes to get what you’re owed.

We’ve put together a full list of reasons you could be owed backdated state pension payments worth £10,000s.

LCP has developed an online tool to help people understand what state pension they are entitled to inherit on top of their own state pension here.

A tool previously launched by the company to help married women check for underpayments had over one million visits.

You will need to be prepared to answer some questions about your age and marital status, as well as how much money you currently receive in state pension.

If you’re using the married woman’s calculator, you will also need to have information about your husband’s pension to hand.

If it turns out that your state pension is being underpaid because of an error, it’s worth contacting either the DWP or the Pensions Service.

Steve Webb, partner at LCP and former Pensions Minister, said: “The department needs to launch an urgent investigation into the scale of this problem.”

The DWP also has a tool to help those receiving the new state pension assess their eligibility for inherited state pension amounts on the government website.

There is also a guide on inheriting or increasing a state pension on the gov’s site.

Calculate your state pension payments

To qualify for the new state pension, you need to have paid enough National Insurance (NI) contributions or credits.

You need at least ten years on your record to get any payments at all. To get the full amount, you usually need 35 years’ worth of contributions.

If you have gaps on your record, you can choose to buy the missing years to boost your state pension payments.

To find out whether you’re on track to get the full state pension, you can check your forecast on gov.uk.

You’ll need to sign in through the government gateway. If you’ve already got an account, use those details, otherwise you might need to set one up.

Everyone reaching retirement age now can only qualify for the new state pension, which follows the rules outlined above.

But if you are either a man who was born before 6 April 1951 or a woman who was born before 6 April 1953, you’ll get something called the basic state pension, and you might also get additional state pension.

You can read more about the basic state pension on the government’s website.

A MAJOR pizza chain has issued an urgent warning to customers after fears over contaminated popular dips.

The global restaurant company, with more than 450 branches across the UK, was forced to stop serving the much-loved condiments.

1

Papa Johns issued the warning over two products amid health fears and allergy risks.

Their Garlic and Herb Dip, and their Vegan Ranch Dressing were pulled as they may contain traces of peanuts.

A Papa Johns spokesman said: “At Papa Johns, customer safety is our top priority.

“Certain batches of our Garlic and Herb Dip and our Vegan Ranch Dressing may contain traces of peanuts. Our 25g dips are included with pizzas, and we recently introduced a 100g version. If you have a peanut allergy, please do not consume these dips and dispose of them.

“Our Vegan Ranch Dressing, used on products, may also contain traces of peanuts. If you have a peanut allergy, please avoid these items.

“We are working quickly to resolve this issue. In the meantime, we will replace the Garlic and Herb Dip with our Special Garlic Dip, which is unaffected.

“For any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@papajohns.co.uk.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

Fellow industry titan, Domino’s, was forced to make the same announcement last month.

Two Domino’s dip flavours are among the recalled items: the Domino’s Garlic & Herb Dip and the Honey & Mustard one.

Domino’s previously urged those with a peanut allergy to dispose of the dips mentioned on the recall alert and avoid consuming them.

The fast-food chain apologised for any concern this may cause and recommended that customers with queries visit their contact form here.

A Domino’s spokesman said: “At Domino’s Pizza, the quality of our products and the safety of our customers is the highest priority, particularly when it comes to allergens.

“We have become aware that some of our Garlic & Herb and Honey & Mustard dip may contain traces of peanut.

“This issue may impact both our 100g ‘Big Dip’ pots and the smaller, 25g, pots we provide with our pizzas.

“If you DO HAVE A PEANUT ALLERGY, please dispose of the dips and do not consume them.

“If you DO NOT have a peanut allergy, no further action is required.”

It comes as the Food Standards Agency has issued a number of alerts for food products containing mustard powder, imported from India, which may have been contaminated with peanuts.

The food watchdog recalled dozens of foods and condiments they had reason to believe might be with peanuts not listed on the label.

Sold under various brand names and across a range of stores, recalled dips, sandwiches and salads contain mustard, which may have traces of peanuts.

“This means these products are a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts,” the Food Standard Agency (FSA) said.

“If you have bought any of the above products and have an allergy to peanuts, do not eat them.”

The alert was first issued when the food watchdog urged Brits with peanut allergies to avoid all mustard-containing products while they determined the source of the contamination.

Since then, they have published a full list of 64 products they believe have been contaminated, which was updated yesterday to include the Thiccc Sauce Meat Candy & Thiccc Sauce BBQ Sriracha.

Sold in convenience stores and off-licences, a number of SPAR sandwiches, wraps and pasta salads have been pulled from shelves too.

Other items included on the recent recall alert that may contain traces of peanuts include Fazilas wraps and Clayton Park sandwiches.

Peanut allergies are particularly common, affecting about one in 50 children in the UK, increasing in recent decades, according to Allergy UK.

Rebecca Sudworth, Director of Policy at the FSA, said: “This remains a complex investigation, and we are continuing to work with Food Standards Scotland, relevant businesses, local authorities, and agencies to ensure the necessary measures are in place to protect consumers.

“While our investigations continue our advice remains the same: people with a peanut allergy should continue to avoid consuming all foods that contain or may contain mustard, mustard seeds, mustard powder or mustard flour.

“Our current focus is to ensure all affected products have been withdrawn and recalled.

“Once this has taken place, we are confident we’ll be in a position to remove some of our additional advice for consumers, so they can continue to enjoy food that is safe and trust the product label and information accurately reflects the allergenic content.

“Until this happens it’s very important that people with a peanut allergy continue to avoid any product containing mustard or mustard ingredients.”