DP World has taken part in celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Southampton becoming a city.

Almost 70 shipping containers were arranged on the quayside at the docks to form the word "Southampton" and the figure 60.

A vessel just offshore sprayed water into the air to help mark the occasion.

A DP World spokesman said: "We were contacted by the city council and asked if we wanted to mark the 60th anniversary of Southampton obtaining city status.

"The staff at the terminal have previously shown our appreciation for the NHS and marked historic events by creating displays of containers on the quayside.

Daily Echo: DP World is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the day Southampton was awarded city statusDP World is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the day Southampton was awarded city status (Image: DP World)

"As we are proud to be an integral part of the Southampton community we were only too pleased to mark the event.

"A total of 67 red white shipping containers were used for the display. We would also like to thank the crew of Svitzer Ferriby for their assistance."

Southampton will celebrate 60 years of being a city today (Saturday) with a series of activities to mark the anniversary.

At Bitterne, Portswood, and Woolston libraries families can enjoy a hot drink, a piece of cake, and Southampton-themed activities to celebrate 60 years of city status.

People are also being encouraged to bring in photographs from the last 60 years to build a historical display at Central Library.

The city council’s archive team has pulled together a webpage of previously unseen documents and photographs from the last 60 years, including the Royal Charters.

Southampton FC will encourage a minute of applause during the 60th minute of their game against Millwall.