MOST pubs don't want to scare people away but one in Darwen is going to put people's fears and phobias to the limit this Halloween.

As if the sight of two nine foot spiders and webs outside the Anchor pub was not enough to test people's resolve, landlord Lance Montgomery, 41, and his wife Melissa have created an 'Anchorphobia' for people who are scared of our eight-legged creatures.

It is not the first time they have tried to scare people as they had a graveyard garden with tombstones outside in 2015 to last year's creation of Victorian serial-killers theme.

Lance said: "This is our fifth year doing it and every year keeps getting better.

"We think it is bigger than Christmas and New Year as people want to be scared.

"We have some contact with a Preston animatronics firm and they have sold us some stuff.

"This year we have some bigger professional props and it has built some expectation in the pub.

"People look forward to us doing it."

It has taken up to two weeks to get the pub ready with all their new characters and props.

He said: "We have been planning it for 20 months trying to prepare yourself to get the best experience and we think it looks great.

"The growth of the scarefest industry over the past 10 years has been part of it.

"People want to pay to be terrified.

"We have had to put some parental advice warnings up outside the front door as we have had 12 crying kids in one week and one of them was my own.

"People like being scared and with the arachnophobia theme we think it is a straightforward old fashioned phobia."

The pub is covered with spider webs around the bar and all shapes and sizes of the arachnids are on every nook and cranny.

An interesting feature is the light projected spiders scuttling on the ceiling.

Among the props include a giant holding dangling a kid near the bar and then also an animatronic jumping scary bride.

Lance added: "We usually have people coming into this room but I think she puts people off."

If you get too scared then don't worry Spiderman is outside and should be able to help you.