Hundreds of spectators lined the main road in Ashton under Hill to witness the revival of the New Year's Day Soapbox Races.

Similar events previously took place in 2000 and 2004 but less than two months ago the decision was made to revive the popular kart races down the Elmley Road to raise money for the village playground project.

The road was closed off for several hours in the morning to allow the event to take place safely and, after an incredible amount of effort to create all manner of home-made karts, a total of 37 teams turned up to race.

Matt Cyphus, one of the main organisers, said: "We were so impressed with the build quality of the karts as well as the fancy dress on show.

"The support from the crowd offered to the competitors on the day was brilliant. There was a lovely atmosphere and we appreciate the patience shown by residents and motorists following the road closure.

"There were no injuries or accidents and times were recorded for every run. The perfect outcome!"

The main winners were ‘Georgina’s Crazy Kart’ (fancy dress); ‘Savage’ (best build), ‘Team Sieracki’ (under 16 category); ‘Ricky’s rock-it’ (mixed age group category) and ‘Take my breath away’ (overall winners).

Matt added: "We are delighted to announce that a total of £2,640.32 was raised after costs. This, together with other fundraising initiatives, including the £10,000 Lottery Grant secured by Sarah Hewitt (nee Smith) and support from Open Gardens, means that we now have sufficient funds for the playground project to commence and we hope for the work to be completed within the next few months.

"Without the support of our race sponsors, this would not have been possible.

"We would like to thank everybody who contributed to making the day such a success."