ORGANISERS say this year's New Milton Lions Carnival and Town Parade could turn out to be a record-breaker.

Thousands of people flocked to the event at the town's recreation ground in Whitefield Road to enjoy a feast of family entertainment.

The fun-filled event featured live music, arena events and a large number of stalls.

Organised by the Lions Club of New Milton the carnival was blessed by blue skies and warm sunshine, escaping the violent thunderstorms and torrential downpours that dominated the rest of the weekend.

The line-up included a fun dog show, a penalty shoot-out and plenty of entertainment for children - including rides on Trigger The Train.

Some of the most eye-catching objects on the showground were a group of Mad Max-style vehicles built by the Alternative Sports Club, which was promoting a charity pram race in Ferndown next month.

Visitors to the carnival also had a chance to meet New Milton author Michael Forester, whose novels include Dragonsong, The Goblin Child and Forest Rain.

Alan Watson, one of the organisers, said: "Given what the weather was supposed to be like on the day we felt a certain amount of trepidation beforehand, but conditions couldn't have been better.

"At one point there were literally thousands of people at the event. All the indications are that we could be heading for a record."