VILLAGERS have pulled out all the stops for an annual scarecrow festival as they tackled the theme of heroes and villains.

Dozens of scarecrows have been entered into Cotherstone’s Scarecrow Festival, which runs ahead of the Teesdale village’s carnival this weekend.

And the creations have certainly got both residents and visitors talking as entrants used their creative flare to have everything from former Health Secretary Matt Hancock to Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise featuring in the competition.

Also on display were England’s Euro2020 lions, The Joker and ex-chief adviser to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings.

The scarecrow trail has been a popular summer event for more than 20 years and runs over the two weeks around Cotherstone fun weekend.

This year, the weekend will include a fancy dress competition, dog show, BBQ and football challenge.