THERE was an increase in the insect population in Alton Public Gardens on Saturday last month - but not quite how you would expect.

For the insects were in art form after Primrose Jones, who founded a town branch of Love on The Rocks, invited families to come and enjoy a formal picnic while painting a ‘bug line’ of rocks.

And those who came had a wonderful time painting bugs on rocks. In fact, one mum, Karen Wakeford, and her children painted 500 between them.

Primrose said” “Love on the Rocks UK, which has 90,000 members, suggested it would be a good idea for us to paint a bug line and we had very good results.

“One man just painted a blue bottle on his rock rather than the fly itself.”

At the end of the afternoon the bug rocks were placed around Alton or taken to other towns for people to find and keep.

Love on the Rocks holds a family meeting once a month at Alton Community Centre and an adult evening at Vokes Lunch Club.