FISH in bloomers, squabbling White and Red Queens, dozens of silver trout and folk in fancy dress all helped to make the Carnival Bentham by Bike event a day to remember.

Cyclists pushed their pedals on a leisurely ride through Low Bentham to help celebrate the launch of the Bentham Bike Loop as part of the run-up to the Tour de France Grand Depart.

And hundreds of spectators lined the streets for the carnival procession, which paraded down Main Street in glorious weather.

The day revolved around the unveiling of the Queen's Bloomers, a sculpture by Marjan Wouda, which celebrates the historical connection between silk weaving in Bentham and Lady Amelia Bloomer, an early pioneer of women's cycling who gave her name to Victorian female cycling garments.

The Red Queen and White Queen staged a spat over who was to unveil the piece, before each tearing off their skirts to reveal voluminous bloomers!

Alison Clough, of Pioneer Projects, and one of the organisers of the event, said the day had been a "spectacular success".

She said: "We were really lucky with the weather and everybody really got into it all. The Spot the Trout part of the day went down really well. There were silver trout artworks, many of them made by Aaron Robshaw, in the fields and all the shops had really joined in with the fishy theme.

"The 'Car Bizarre', where people 'dressed up' their cars, was also hugely popular. People really got caught up in the spirit of the event. It was massively successful."

There was also live music throughout the day, including the Pantabulous Steel Band, while musical revelry went on into the night in the village's pubs.