A carnival queen and her princesses have put Dunmow on the royal radar after winning best float at the Brightlingsea Carnival.

The trio’s float represented the Essex town at the weekend in an ‘around the world’ theme, which took over six months to finish. Adorned with flowers, its country garden décor paid homage to the Gardens of Easton Lodge, which has a colourful history dating back to the Tudor period.

A miniature pond, complete with model ducks, was also included in dedication to Doctors Pond, which sits at the heart of the community where the first unsinkable lifeboat was tested.

A spokesperson for the committee said: “It was a great day and lovely to hear compliments about the float. Lots of people were saying that the girls deserved to come first.”

Decked out in royal blue and yellow, the girls received rosettes and certificates for their efforts. The parade took a full hour to make it round the circuit, with dance troupes, fancy dress unicyclists and majorettes joining in the procession.