THEY came, they saw, they cheered.

Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets of Southampton to watch the Olympic torch relay wind its way through the city.

The flame was proudly carried by 16 different torchbearers from the Red Funnel ferry terminal, through the old town and up to the Bargate , through the Above Bar precinct and down through the parks to St Mary's.

After heading through Chapel it provided some entertainment between matches during Saints' friendlies in the Markus Liebherr Memorial Trophy by doing a lap of the pitch at St Mary's Stadium.

The relay then headed back into the city centre and on to Mayflower Park , where Gill Rose carried it to the stage at the evening celebrations to light the official cauldron.

It marked the end of Day 57 of the Olympic torch relay which took the flame from Bournemouth, through the New Forest to the Isle of Wight and finally Southampton.

Along the way, the enthusiastic crowds cheered, screamed, whistled and whooped with delight as cameras were held in the air to get a memento of the once-in-a-lifetime sights.

Each of the torchbearers had their own story to tell and their own style, with some waving to the crowds, others blowing kisses as they went or sharing flamboyant high-fives with those standing and watching.

Whether they ran, walked, or as with crowd favourite 12-year-old Cedar School pupil Kyle Jones, wheeled their way along their each leg, all had one thing in common - a great big smile on their face.