Romanian taxman on witch-hunt

Romanian tax officials are gathering details of local witches and sending them to Bucharest where their incomes can be assessed by the country’s Inland Revenue over fears their tax-free spells are costing the treasury millions of pounds a year in lost revenue.

Spells, hexes and curses are still big business in the country for about 4,000 of its witches, which charge between £9 and £90 for a spell, some of which are even used by businesses to boost their profits, according to reports.

The average monthly salary in Romania is £150.

Only one - Gabriela Ciucur, 31, from Targu Jiu in eastern Romania - is officially registered to pay tax.

Ciucur, who sees up to seven clients a day and charges around £6 a session, has started issuing receipts to her clients for work that includes star-gazing, fortune-telling and talking to the dead.