HUNDREDS of people queued for hours at a Prestwich tattoo parlour to get bee inkings in a show of solidarity after last week's terrorist attack in Manchester.

Sword and Sparrow was faced with more than 300 customers on Saturday.

Owner Lewis Tudor advertised the opportunity to get a bee tattoo at his studio in Bury New Road, on Facebook on Tuesday, May 23, after the suicide bomber attack at Manchester Arena on Monday, May 22, which left 22 people dead.

He asked customers for a minimum donation of £30 to go towards the Manchester Evening News’ ‘We Stand Together’ crowdfunding appeal, to help the families of those killed or injured.

Manchester is adorned with the bee emblem, which is a legacy of the city's textile industry.

Little Lever resident, Ciaran Cusack, aged 33, booked in after seeing the post on social media.

The social worker, who brought his four-year-old son Louie along, said: “I think it’s been very humbling to see how people have pulled together after such an evil attack.

“It’s still short of a week after it happened and I’m lost for words.

“We can take solace from gestures like these so when I read about today on Facebook, I messaged them and booked in.

“The bee is the emblem of this city but I think it’s starting to take a different meaning after this week – it’s become a real symbol of strength.

“It’s a really kind gesture from the shop to be offering these tattoos for free in support of the fund, I don’t think they’ll be getting away on time tonight.”

Mr Tudor, who works alongside his sister Jessica, aged 23, who also tattooed on Saturday, had to bring in an extra artist to lighten the load.

The 26-year-old added: “We’ve had some family members of one of the victims come in to get it as a memorial tattoo.

“Within an hour of putting it up on Facebook, 100 people had responded but we never expected it to be as busy as it has been.

“People have been queuing for four hours to get tattooed.

“We’ve brought in Kobe to help tattoo and we’re expecting to do more than 300 by the end of the night.”

The bee has been an emblem of Manchester since the Victorian era.

Several theories exist about how it became the city's symbol, but a popular one suggests a German architect described Manchester, then rich with mills and factories, as a "hive of activity".

It is a worker bee, symbolising the industry of the city and its people, and was adopted into Manchester's coat of arms in 1842.

The bee can be found around the city, including on bollards and in the mosaic tiles of the town hall.