THINGS will be going bump in the night at a County Durham pub tonight.

Spirits will not just be behind the bar at The Ship Inn, in Middlestone Village, near Spennymoor, but in every corner of the haunted building.

Dressed as a ghostly gentleman, landlord Tony Langdale will mimic the footsteps of the late Lord Eden who it is rumoured visits the pub regularly to collect the rent.

Nobody has ever seen the ghost of Lord Eden, but his footsteps can often be heard on the pub stairs, frightening Mr Langdale, partner Jane Roscher and family.

Mr Langdale said: "The previous landlord told me about the ghost, but I wasn't sure I believed it until I heard it for myself.

"I was stood at the bar one night with a man from the village and we heard heavy footsteps go up the stairs and along the corridor.

"They went the way someone would have walked through the original pub door before it was modified.

"It frightened the living daylights out of me. I couldn't sleep that night."

A hundred brave souls hope to make it through a Halloween party tonight, after dining on graveyard goulash and monster mash.

Daring party-goers will enjoy special potions including Wicked Witch, Silver Ghost, Trick or Treat and a blood red Warewolf Beer brewed by the Wear Valley Brewery for Halloween.

l Meanwhile, children in Tow Law have celebrated their first day at a new nursery with a pumpkin party.

The first intake at the Yellow Wellies nursery, at the Tow Law Millennium primary school, spent yesterday morning carving pumpkins.

Some of the finished lanterns will be displayed in the nursery today.

Kate Jones, the nursery's owner, said: "The party went very well. The children seemed to settle in very quickly. We wanted to get them all in together to do a settling-in session."

For details on the Yellow Wellies nursery, call Ms Jones on 01388-730283.