THERE were hundreds lined along the streets as the magical Santa bus made its way through in County Durham - complete with tinsel, decorations and elves.
Pictures captured the moment Go North East's musical Santa bus crept past hordes of excited onlookers in Ouston near Chester-le-Street.
Decked out with dozens of fairy lights and playing Christmas favourites, the open-top bus saw Santa himself wave as he made his way through on Sunday.
Read more: When Go North East Santa bus will come to County Durham this year
On the streets, hundreds stopped to see the bus for themselves, with some understood to have been waiting for between 30 minutes and an hour.
The Santa bus on its way to Ouston in County Durham Picture: MARTIJN GILBERT
Hundreds lined the streets to see it pass by Picture: MARTIJN GILBERT
Based at its Deptford depot in Sunderland, the Santa bus had been on day five of its eight-day venture across the region when the scenes were captured in Ouston.
So far, the bus has been spotted across the region including in Washington, Gateshead, Metrocentre, Houghton-le-Spring, Newcastle and Hexham.
Tonight, it is set to visit County Durham with areas including Chester-le-Street, Durham City, Neville's Cross and Sacriston.
Hundreds lined the streets to see it pass by Picture: MARTIJN GILBERT
Behind the scenes of the Santa bus Picture: MARTIJN GILBERT
Tomorrow (December 21), the Santa bus will visit the likes of Boldon, Hebburn, Jarrow, Wrekenton and Springwell.
On Wednesday (December 22), it will visit Sunderland and South Tyneside, visiting areas including Barnes Park, East Herrington, Seaburn, Whitburn and South Shields.
Then, on its final day (December 23), the Santa bus will again visit Chester-le-Street and areas including Pelton, Stanley, Consett, Witton Gilbert and Durham.
Hundreds lined the streets to see it pass by Picture: MARTIJN GILBERT
On social media, many described the magical scenes from last night.
One person said: “It’s absolutely amazing how many people turned out for it. It’s absolutely amazing.”
Another said: “It’s incredible. The joy and happiness it brings is just amazing - blows me away to see it here too.”
'We were blown away by how popular the Santa bus was'
Ahead of this year's Santa bus starting, Stephen King, Commercial Director at Go North East said: “We’re delighted to be spreading some festive cheer again this year.
“We were blown away by how popular the Santa bus open-top tour was last year, and we can’t wait to get started again, seeing all those smiling faces as we pass through the region’s villages, towns and cities.”
--
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here