A 61ft-tall, smoke-breathing dragon has welcomed motorists driving towards Kings Langley.

The hot air balloon was inflated at midnight to celebrate Chinese New Year and mark the start of the Year of the Dragon.

Placed alongside the M25, close to Kings Langley, the area was bathed in a special glow, emitted from the inflatable.

The balloon is the only one in the UK with a glass bottomed ‘basket’ and the biggest of its kind in the world.

It has size 116 feet, a wing span of 14 metres and a 44-metre-long tail - longer than five double-decker buses parked end to end. Featuring a pallet on its back, the dragon, which is taller than an eight-storey building, was developed for firm Palletways and lit by local company SMA World Wide.