Hundreds of people flocked to the South Derbyshire village of Overseal to celebrate its annual gala and parade as organisers label the event as the biggest ever held.

On the 57 year of the gala being held, the village saw scarecrows, a Shrek lookalike and even Spitfire planes come along to join the celebrations.

Known as one of the highlights of the area's calendar, the gala was held on Saturday, July 8, starting at 1pm as a parade of floats featuring a whole host of characters from the TV's Teletubbies to children's book favourite Where's Wally?

The parade began near to Linton Heath and made its way to the field in Woodville Road in Overseal, taking roughly an hour.

This was only the beginning of a whole afternoon of fun, complete with an organised flyover from a World War Two Spitfire plane that wowed the crowds.

A series of vintage cars were also on display, including a range of classic Mini Coopers.

And kids weren't left out on the day, as Dalek's and Cybermen – enemies of BBC's Doctor Who, turned up to scare and pose in pictures with anyone who dared to get close enough.

Swadlincote Daleks, a group of Doctor Who super fans were behind the visit of characters and brought along with them a replica Tardis, the blue telephone box which the Doctor travels in and is synonymous with the show.

Trees and fences were 'yarn-bombed', to add a bit of colour to the village as knitted material was place on top of features across the village in the name of street art.

The famous scarecrow competition saw residents make and show off their own creations in their gardens, including a very realistic Michael Jackson and even a group of ballet dancers.

The recreation ground played host to an afternoon and evening of live music, fairground rides and gymnastic displays. A whole host of food, drink, arts and crafts stalls filled the main field, including knitted goods, home-made cushions and a book sale.

Mandy Elton, the gala committee chairman relished her first year organising the event and has declared this year as the biggest yet.

She said: "It went brilliantly. The weather was fabulous which really brought out the crowds. It was a tremendous day and was the first time in quite a while that we opened both the top and bottom fields, both of which we filled."

"It was bigger and better than ever, the whole village was gridlocked while people tried to park.

"At the end of the day, Overseal has a fantastic community and this was really all about building that up. We encourage our villagers to talk to one another and help grow the village."

Mrs Elton also explained that they are aiming to improve further next year and will be once again opening up the whole field after the success of this year.