A CARNIVAL atmosphere lifted the spirits of everyone in Great Yarmouth town centre as jubilant crowds celebrated England reaching the second round of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Slovenia.

A CARNIVAL atmosphere lifted the spirits of everyone in Great Yarmouth town centre as jubilant crowds celebrated England reaching the second round of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Slovenia.

Pubs in the town centre were packed while a DJ kept punters entertained in Peggottys in King Street belting out football anthems during the game, including the Lightning Seeds' Three Lions.

The sound of African Vuvuzela horns reverberated around the town and seafront as fans chanted and sang long into the night following England's vital win in their final group stage match yesterday.

The national team shrugged off their disappointing 0-0 draw with Algeria on Friday to beat the eastern Europeans and set up the mouth watering prospect of a tie against Germany on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the Mercury's area, World Cup fervour has not shown any signs of waning:

ACLE High School played host to nearly 90 eager England fans who watched the 0-0 draw with Algeria on a big screen at the school, measuring 5m by 4m.

The audience figure beat the 60 who gathered to watch England's first match against the USA on June 12 and organiser Robert Bloomfield, from the high school's PTA, said more screenings of evening matches involving England were planned.

CAISTER youngster Robert Crowe, 10, helped his sister Leanne, 27, decorate their Victoria Street home with St George Cross flags to show his support for his country.

Fellow Caister resident Kevin Dobson has also decorated his home in the national flag and dressed up as a Knight of the Realm for the photo.

Also in Caister, police emulated England legends of the past by getting a thrashing in a penalty shoot-out.

Officers from local Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) were reminded their footwork is better served on the beat rather than the pitch after they were defeated 3-1 in a match against John Grant School.

The World Cup was put aside as police and pupils went head-to-head in the annual match on Monday with both teams aiming to improve on last year's 5-5 draw.

Many streets in Yarmouth have been decorated with England flags, including Sturdee Avenue, Walpole Road and Garfield Road.