The sky was lit up with flashes of colour as families huddled around a huge bonfire at one of the county's major organised firework displays last night.

About 3,000 people attended the event at the Great Central Railway's Quorn and Woodhouse Station, in Woodhouse Road, Quorn, and also enjoyed a fun fair, real-ale tent and a variety of food stalls.

Senior station manager Richard Bruce, who organised the night, said: "It's the attraction of the massive bonfire, the great firework display and the draw of the steam engines which people enjoy.

"The same people keep coming back year after year, so we must be doing something right."

The huge bonfire took about two days to build and kept visitors warm as they watched the 20-minute firework display.

Families from all over the county arrived by steam train as the locomotives pulled into the station from the Great Central Railway's other stations in Loughborough, Rothley and Leicester North.

Passengers could ride the engines to the event for £8 an adult and £6 for children.

Cassie Allen, 31, from Quorn, was at the event with her two daughters, Charlotte, seven, and Frankie, Four.

She said: "We come down here every year because it's great fun and the girls love it."

Seven-year-old Frankie said: "My favourite thing is the colour of the fireworks – but I don't like the bangs; they're scary."

Members of Leicester City Fire Brigade Museum Society were on standby with a Green Goddess engine in case the bonfire got out of control or fireworks misfired.

Sacha Staples, 12, from Sileby, said: "This year we were standing really close to the bonfire and it was very hot but it looked really pretty."

Her dad, Darren, 37, said: "We've coming here every year for nine years and I think we'll keep coming until we're old and grey."

More Bonfire events...

Events today

include the Braunstone Park bonfire, which opens at 6.30pm, the Foxton

firework display, at the Shoulder of Mutton, in Foxton, and the Thorpe

Arnold Cricket Club bonfire party, in Waltham Road, Melton Mowbray.

Leicester's largest festival of fireworks kicks off on Saturday at Abbey Park at 5pm, with the main display at 8pm.

Leicester Racecourse, in Oadby, are also

putting on bonfires and fireworks on Saturday night.