STONE the crows! Saddam Hussein has been spotted near Ringwood . . .

And he's not alone.

Other scary figures have been cropping up along the roadsides around Bisterne this week.

A straw poll has uncovered an Osama bin Laden lookalike, a burglar creeping down a sheet from a farmhouse and some ghostly apparitions.

There are even rumours that a steel "I'll be back" Arnie is on the loose.

The sudden growth of scarecrows in the area is due to a competition in the run-up to a family fun day in Bisterne on Saturday.

Local folk have created dozens of stuffed gallybaggers to vie for the top prizes.

Organiser Claire Trickey from Bisterne said: "We thought it would be a fun thing to do to publicise the event, as at one point we were thinking of cancelling it."

"Suddenly, scarecrows started appearing everywhere. We didn't think it would take off like this."

Among the figures delighting passers-by are a farmer and his dog, a vet, a trapeze artist, a fisherman, a footballer and lots of couples.

But some are attracting a bit too much interest - a wedding party of a bride, bridegroom and bridesmaid outside St Paul's Church has been stolen twice already.

Competition judges toured the hedgerows at the weekend and the winners are due to be announced at the fun day.

"We're producing maps of where all the scarecrows are and we're going to hand them out at the fete so people can go and find them on the Sunday," said Claire.

The organisers are hoping for a good turnout at the first fete to be held in the village for some years.

Claire added: "It will be a real community event.

"We're going to have silly games for the adults like wheelbarrow races, and also coconut shies, a hog roast, a bar and hopefully we're getting a live band as well."

"There'll be masses of things for the children, including a 50-foot inflatable pirate ship."

The fun day is being held on Saturday at the Bisterne sports ground on the B3347 Christchurch Road from 3pm to 9pm. Admission is free.