Figures dressed in corsets, top hats and goggles have been racing snails and tea-duelling in the borough.

The first Surrey Steampunk Convivial stomped through Sutton, Kingston and Epsom on Saturday February 25.

The day began with a history walk through the Avenue in Worcester Park, which is the road that HG Wells lived in when he wrote The Time Machine, hosted by local historian Clive Popkins.

After stopping off in the HG Wells pub in North Cheam they headed for the Royal Oak on New Malden.

There they enjoyed a shadow puppet workshop, a traditional Steampunk sport known as tea-duelling and snail racing.

The organiser, Ben Henderson, 40, from Worcester Park said: “It was very good and very well attended.

“About 70 of us went to the HG Wells pub and we had over 100 people at the Royal Oak.

“The snail racing was very funny and the music in the evening was fantastic.

“People are calling for us to do it again.”

Steampunk is a movement based loosely around science fiction of the Victorian period and influenced by authors of the time such as Jules Verne and HG Wells.

The style is seen in films such as the League of Gentlemen, the Three Musketeers and the new Shelock Holmes films.

For more information visit harpsfest.com.