Hundreds of people gathered to see the arrival of the famous Coca Cola Christmas truck as it rolled into Bournemouth on Wednesday.

The truck, seen by many as a real symbol of the festive period, stopped at the seafront by Bournemouth Pier between 12pm and 8pm, allowing visitors young and old to enjoy the brightly decorated vehicle.

In pictures: See lots more photos of the Coca Cola truck's visit to Bournemouth

Bournemouth is the 36th stop of the 46 stop annual tour, which finishes at Leicester Square on Christmas Eve.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the tour and the 20th anniversary of the truck, which first aired on our screens in 1995.

Bobby Brittain, marketing director for Coca-Cola GB said: “We’re delighted to be marking 20 years of ‘Holidays are Coming’ on UK screens and take the Coca-Cola Christmas truck tour to as many towns as possible in the run up to Christmas. We’re looking forward to being able to give a little happiness to as many people across the country as possible.”

Amanda Langhorn said: “It’s really nice to see the children’s faces light up when they see things like this. It’s what Christmas is all about.”

Tony Potter said: “At least it’s made a very gloomy day seem a bit more festive and cheery.”

Harriet Rigby said: “Every year when it’s here it seems to get more popular. It’s a lovely setting as well, right by the seafront.”

Stephen Dunne: “I suppose all a bit of innocent fun really isn’t it?”