In November last year, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park staff awoke to the sight of "hundreds" of rotting pumpkins scattering the grounds.

Wildlife celebrity Chris Packham had advocated disposing of the Halloween vegetables in "woodlands and parks" to be feasted upon by critters. Residents dutifully obliged.

Rats swarmed and an unpleasant clean-up operation followed. Park staff say they do not expect the ordeal to be repeated this year.

"Don't bring them here," a park spokesperson told Nub News. "I know people thought they were doing good last year, but when you have literally hundreds of pumpkins it causes a pretty big problem.

"We never asked them to, so it was very strange seeing all these rotting orange balls left by the boardwalk and by the lake and all over the place. They attracted all these rats and it took a good few hours to clean them up.

"The entire back of the truck was full of them. It was very surreal - totally unprecedented."

The park has a simple message for anyone planning on dumping their scary squashes there this year:

"Put them in your own garden. If you're putting them out for wildlife, feed the birds in your own garden."