OH, the irony of it all! A steam train carrying television celebrity Charlie Dimmock and other dignitaries to the official opening of a new Hampshire station arrived late!

The Union of South Africa, an A4 Pacific locomotive, had steadily lost time since leaving its Watercress Line base at Alton before finally chugging into Chandler's Ford.

However, no one in the hundreds-strong crowd seemed the slightest bit fazed by the delay.

"It's not leaves on the line," assured a South West Trains spokesman over a loudspeaker. "It's had difficult getting steamed up.''

Dressed in a charcoal grey suit, the star of Ground Force alighted from the train, took a photocall with driver Michael Hunt, and then strolled down the platform posing for pictures from official photographers and chatting to mums and dads and children.

Together with the Mayor of Eastleigh, Cllr Glynn Davies-Dear and former station master Norman Gould, she then cut the tape to officially open the station, five months after passenger trains returned following a near 35-year absence.

She then strolled through the car park to plant a cypress oak tree to commemorate the day.

"I'm delighted to be here and it's great to see you all,'' said Ms Dimmock, who has just returned from walking the Great Wall of China in aid of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity.

"I do use the trains all the time from Romsey, so I'm pleased to see another local station opening up."