AS Halloween draws near, it is the time of year for tales of unquiet spirits and ghostly goings-on.

So it's appropriate that some of the haunted spots of the Malvern area are brought to eerie life in a new book by county author Anne Bradford.

Worcestershire Ghosts and Hauntings, published by Hunt End Books of Redditch, follows the successful publication of Anne's previous books, such as Haunted Worcestershire and Haunted Pubs and Hotels of Worcestershire and its Borders.

"I began collecting local ghosts and legends at the request of our local librarian in 1992," said Anne.

"They proved so popular that I have continued with them.

"This is my fourth collection of Worcestershire tales and I have also co-authored three collections of stories for another publisher covering the whole of the Midlands. The first three Worcestershire books have sold so well they are out of print."

Anne gives talks all over the county to groups ranging from Round Tables to remand prisoners, and frequently she is told about strange occurrences and supernatural encounters.

In the Malvern section of the latest book, the hauntings include a presence in the former Warwick House department store, a mystery monk at a house in Leigh Sinton, and a ghostly signpost, of all things, in Storridge.

"Most of these stories were given to me when I came to Malvern to give my lecture Ghosts, Murders and Scandals to the Malvern Museum Association," said Anne.

She also recounts the legends of Mary of Eldersfield, Malvern's local witch, and the shadow of Raggedstone Hill.

Many other strange stories and disturbing tales, ranging from a terrible ghostly smell in a Redditch hotel, to a haunting on the site of a massacre in Evesham, are recounted.

Worcestershire Ghosts and Hauntings is available from bookshops, priced £6.50.