VISITORS flooded in to view historic pictures of Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Bishopstoke and Fair Oak when Eastleigh and District Local History Society staged a mammoth identity parade with a difference.

The society's April meeting was thrown open in an attempt to identify people and places in hundreds of old photographs dating back to 1900.

Society chairman Gordon Cox said: "We had about 20 albums there and things went very well. It drew an awful lot of visitors and attracted an awful lot of interest."

For some reason old photos of the Barton and Bishopstoke area seemed particularly popular and Mr Cox confirmed that some places and faces were identified, but not as many as he had hoped.

He added: "People were more interested in looking at the old photos - they were literally queueing up to look at them."

Following the success of the event, a repeat is now being planned for the autumn. The local history society will also be mounting an exhibition during the Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury Festival at the end of June.