THOUSANDS of people turned out for the return of a village's celebration of firefighting.

The Odiham Fire Show was held on land off the A287 at North Warnborough, and featured displays of firefighting and fire trucks.

The annual event, which has been running since 1992, was called off last year when the venue became waterlogged following weeks of rain.

Councillor Jonathan Glen, chairman of Hampshire County Council and Conservative member for Odiham, got the event underway on Saturday.

He said: "Odiham Fire Show has now become one of the most popular events in our calendar.

"For many of us, it signals the beginning of the summer. It has become the biggest gathering of fire appliances in the country."

A parade of fire appliances, one of which, a Shand Mason MWB steam pump, dated back to 1880, marked the official opening of this year's show.

Other attractions included children's time, where youngsters got the chance use a fire hose in the main arena, the Reading Scottish Pipe Band and plenty of craft stalls.

The main firefighting display on Saturday was the burning of a mock pizza shop.

Organisers believe the event will have raised more than £10,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity, which is based in Basing View, Basingstoke.

Linda L'Enfant added: "It was really good and really busy, especially on Sunday. The car park was jam packed all day.

"It was really good to have it on after what happened last year and everyone seemed really pleased that it had come back."

Appeals were also made throughout the event for people to apply to become a retained firefighter at Odiham Fire Station, in West Street.

Those interested need to live or work within four minutes of the station.

For more information, visit the station on a Wednesday night when the firefighters train and speak to watch manager Mick Paull.