The exploits of a wandering walrus, a road accident that claimed the life of a popular publican, and a dramatic rooftop protest were top of the news agenda in January.

After whipping up a frenzy with his arrival at Calshot in December 2022, our readers remained fascinated by the travels of Thor the walrus.

He caused a similar stir 300 miles away in Yorkshire, where huge crowds flocked to Scarborough following what is thought to have been the first sighting of a walrus in the county.

In sadder news, tributes were paid to Teresa Grimes, 53, a popular landlady of the West End Brewery, who was killed after being hit by a car in West End High Street.

Teresa, who had run the pub for 12 years, had been planning to retire to Turkey in 2024.

In an emotional tribute ahead of her funeral, which was set to take place on January 17, her husband described her as being 'the front and centre of every party and always the first on the dancefloor'.

There were also stories showing the depth of kindness in our community.

A fundraiser launched in memory of a teenager who died after a hard-fought battle with cancer topped the £100,000 mark. Ben Pavitt, of Marchwood, was just 16 when a relapse of his acute T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoblastic lymphoma ended his life.

A moment of drama came when a man climbed onto the roof of his house after being told he was being evicted.

Mark Wilson, 43, refused to leave when bailiffs turned up at the property on Carpathia Close, West End. He and his partner were involved in a dispute with Hyde Housing Association.

Meanwhile, disturbing video footage showed a car smashing into a lollipop lady's stick as she tried to help youngsters across a road.

Three school children looked on in shock as a blue hatchback zipped through a zebra crossing at Portsmouth Road, Bursledon.

It was also a busy month for police. An investigation was launched after a blaze broke out at a Southampton warehouse just days after 600 cannabis plants were found at the property.

Firefighters from eight stations across the Southampton area rushed to the scene in Portswood Road.

There was more tragic news which struck a chord with our readers.

An inquest heard that a Southampton toddler drowned in a lake after briefly being left unsupervised by his autistic cousin.

Greyson Birch was on an afternoon out with Lewis Birch, 18, when the accident happened at Swanwick Nature Reserve.

A hefty fine also captured our readers' attention.

Bupa Care Homes was ordered to pay out £400,000 after an eight-year-old girl was crushed by a falling tree and lost a leg.

The child was out jogging with her father when the accident happened outside Oak Lodge Care Home at Bitterne.

Finally, in education news, a college which lost its good Ofsted rating hit back at inspectors, saying it had "multiple areas of concern" with the education watchdog.

Eastleigh College disputed what it called an "incorrect" Ofsted report said said the college required improvement.