Halloween warning as shoppers urged to avoid fake cobwebs

A selection of gourds and pumpkins decorated with leaf prints for Halloween

(Image credit: Future PLC/Dan Duchars)

published 26 September 2023

Tis the season to be spooky, but, as this Halloween warning makes all too clear, there is a right way and a wrong way when it comes to decking your house out for 31 October.

If you're anything like the team at Ideal Home, you'll undoubtedly be a fan of All Hallows' Eve – and, now that the mornings are serving mist and mellow fruitfulness vibes, you've likely turned your attention to hosting an unforgettable fright night.

Still, before you start planning out all your creepiest and kookiest Halloween decorating ideas, it's worth considering what's safe (and not safe) for your garden. And we don't just mean the usual dangers of natural autumnal decor, either.

Halloween warning issued

From John Lewis' velour pumpkin wreath to that oh-so-covetable Halloween Pumpkin Spiced Light Up Candle at M&S, there are plenty of Halloween goodies at the top of people's lists this year.

Still, if you're on the hunt for spooky front garden ideas, it's important you avoid picking up a bag of plastic cobwebs.

A fence decorated for Halloween with plastic cobwebs

That's right, everyone: it's best to stick to no-carve pumpkin ideas if you want to transform your garden into a spookfest with little-to-no-effort, as The Wildlife Trusts has issued a Halloween warning over using plastic decor outside.

'Plastic Halloween decorations, such as fake spider webs, lurking in our gardens may offer a haunting allure, but they spell real danger for our precious wildlife,' says Rhodri Irranca-Davies, nature recovery manager at The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

'These non-biodegradable decorations are a choking risk for local species such as hedgehogs, foxes and badgers, and may tangle up birds and bats, too.'

Halloween pumpkins carved with the words 'be kind' sat outside a modern house's front door

'This Halloween let's champion WILDlife and avoid contributing to plastic pollution,' continues Rhodri.

'Choose sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives, such as brown string spiders webs, and ensure that our celebrations do not become a true nightmare for the natural world.'

If you're looking for a few more wildlife-friendly Halloween craft ideas, you could also try turning cardboard boxes into tombstones, cutting bats out of black paper, and this five-minute pumpkin carving hack.

Painted pumpkin decorations, lanterns, spiders and autumn leaves on wooden floor

Whatever you do, essentially, just be sure to keep yours a wildlife-friendly garden – and save the non-biodegradable decorations for indoors this year.

Hey, it's definitely the excuse we needed to go hell for leather with our spooky all rooms decor.

Who's with us?

Kayleigh Dray became Ideal Home’s Acting Content Editor in the spring of 2023, and is very excited to get to work. She joins the team after a decade-long career working as a journalist and editor across a number of leading lifestyle brands, both in-house and as a freelancer.