A Bishop is claiming success in his campaign to "re-brand" Halloween with the help of parents and supermarkets.

The Right Reverend David Gillett, Bishop of Bolton, says a poll shows two thirds of Britons support his call for a better range of products on sale for children.

Bishop Gillett said both Asda and Sainsbury's had responded to his call to makeover the "gloomy and scary" festival.

Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, has long been a target by Christians for its association with witchcraft and sorcery.

A survey of 1,002 people for the Church of England showed that 36 per cent believe a broader range of brighter products should be made available for parents to buy for their children to mark the day.

The Church claims this echoes its call for supermarkets to offer more "positive" products than the usual monster masks and costumes based on horror movies.

Almost half (45 per cent) of the people interviewed feel "strongly" that there should be a choice of alternative Halloween goods for children, while among the youngest people interviewed (aged 18 to 24) the figure rises to nearly six in ten (58 per cent).

Last year, Bishop Gillett challenged retailers to provide goods suitable for those worried about the darker side of the festival alongside traditional Halloween toys and costumes.

Sainsbury's has written to the bishop saying they will now also sell glow sticks, hair braids and face paints, and Asda has told him they will also stock costumes and accessories with a "lighter" feel than previous years. Tesco and the Co-op have not responded, the Bishop said.

Bishop Gillett said: "I am delighted that we have persuaded the big supermarkets that they have a responsibility to offer choice.

"I now hope that parents will use their spending power, vote with their baskets and do what they can to show big businesses that we all want Halloween to be a more positive festival."