As the spooky season is upon us, people have been warned that dumping pumpkins in the woodlands could harm wildlife. 

As millions of pumpkins hit supermarket shelves and make their way to gardens, porches, and windowsills across the region, Forestry England has issued a reminder not to leave spent pumpkins in forests or woodlands. 

The appeal comes after a wave of social media posts encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat.

The organisation says that pumpkins are not natural to woodlands and can make some animals very poorly, such as hedgehogs. It adds that decomposing food waste can also attract pests and spread disease. 

Sam Pegler, senior ecologist at Forestry England, said: “While it’s wonderful that people want to do their bit for nature, leaving rotting pumpkins in the countryside isn’t good for wildlife

Some animal centres may accept a small number of pumpkins for their residents, but these are carefully given to appropriate species and removed before they rot down. This isn’t possible in a forest setting, so is best avoided completely. 

"Pumpkin is brilliant for stews, curries, pies, and even pasta and risotto dishes. If pumpkin really isn’t your thing, it can be disposed of in your food recycling container or composted at home. The high water content of pumpkin makes it a great composting material to add nitrogen and moisture to your compost bin.”