HUNDREDS of people turned out for the celebrity opening of a visitor centre at the region's only charity for abandoned reptiles.

A huge crowd turned out to see Wendy Turner Webster, star of TV's Pet Rescue, and Gary Webster, former star of the Minder series, declare the new £39,000 Reptile Trust building - including a visitor and re-homing centre - open.

Based at Burnopfield, near Stanley, County Durham, The Reptile Centre cares for abandoned snakes, tortoises and liz-ards before re-homing them.

The charity's chief executive, Peter Heathcote, said Saturday's ceremony attracted crowds beyond his expectations.

He said: "There were far more people at the centre than I ever expected. Even Wendy was amazed by the turnout - the centre was absolutely packed. A lot of hard work has gone into the refurbishments, so it was good to see the public out in force to support it."

As one of only a couple of similar centres in the country, The Reptile Trust has about 150 abandoned animals that need re-housing.

But, unlike other animal charities, the Reptile Trust don't have their animals put down if new owners can't be found for them.

Now an official tourist attraction, the trust is open seven days a week and can be found at Busty Bank, Burnopfield.