ZOMBIES took over the streets of Titchfield to give a spooky start to the village’s annual carnival capers.

Titchfield was brought alive with colour and music as more than 100 residents turned out for the biggest event in their community calendar.

The living dead came out of their homes on the eve of the 200-year-old carnival to get everyone excited for a day filled with events, and families put on their finest fake blood and ripped clothing, even dressing up their pets for a zombie strut.

And the festivities continued with an autumnal Hallowe’en theme, offering revellers a chance to dress up, compete in pumpkin bowling, have a go at rodeo bull riding and admire a procession of classic cars driving through the village the next day.

Organisers also invited the Imperial Choir London to perform and the Bournemouth Carnival Band before enjoying the Big Noise Samba Band in the evening and lighting the carnival beacon.

Youth groups and residents also designed their own carnival floats to go through the village and a small fair offering homemade food was on offer, as well as a roving busker keeping the masses entertained.

Chairman of the carnival committee Kate Scott, who led the zombie walk complete with gruesome make-up applied the night before, said: “It’s been a really fantastic day, the zombie walk was really good fun and everyone had worked so hard on their costumes.

“Today we’ve had such a great turnout and it’s been lovely to see so many people from the community here supporting the carnival – it’s all been really good fun.”