Sharp objects found in Halloween sweets in three European nations

Needles and other sharp metal objects have been found in sweets handed out over Halloween in Germany, Austria and Hungary, prompting police to issue warnings to parents to check what their children have been given.

Police in a number of German states have reported cases, from Bavaria in the south-east to Lower Saxony in the north.

A girl aged nine hurt her tongue while eating a chocolate bar in Bremervörde, west of Hamburg. A 5cm-long (2in) pin was then found inside it.

Meanwhile, police in Hungary have launched a criminal investigation after nails, screws and pieces of wire were found in sweets handed out to children who had been trick-or-treating in and around the town of Gyömrő, to the east of Budapest.

The local authority said one young girl had been handed a toffee with a nail inside a chocolate wrapper and that she had fortunately noticed in time and had not swallowed the sweet.

Several cases have also been reported across Austria, where Interior Minister Gerhard Karner condemned the incidents as "cowardly, malicious and in some cases life-threatening".

Police there said investigations were under way in four states, and that a 10-year-old girl had suffered a minor injury to her mouth when she bit into a small chocolate bar in the Amstetten area to the east of Linz.

Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the perpetrators had to feel the full force of the law, adding: "Our children deserve a carefree childhood and we'll continue to ensure that."

German police in the south-eastern state of Bavaria said that, while there had been similar cases reported in the past two years, initial figures this year suggested a significant increase in incidents.

As many as 25 cases involving sweets containing needles, screws or nails have been reported by police in Bavaria.

Police in the Middle Franconia region of western Bavaria have also warned of the risk of copycat actions, after a mother found a needle in her child's chocolate bar and reported it to police.

She later returned to the police to say her child had admitted to inserting the needle.