A BOOK which tells the story of a village back to prehistoric times has proved so popular that a second edition is being printed.

Trevor Dean's book Widmer End A Village Story is a thorough 200-page study of the area where he was born. It takes readers on a journey through history in the context of familiar local roads, buildings and events.

The first edition, published last July, has now sold out and arrangements have been made for a second print run. Any profit made will be donated to charity.

The book covers everything from a legendary battle in Eastern Dene in which the locals fought off Viking invaders, to the rebuilding of Grange Farm in the 16th century and wartime stories involving village families.

Trevor, who was born in Widmer End in 1937, has family ties with the village dating back to about 1700.

In the preface, he says: "I was always fascinated as a boy to listen to the old inhabitants recall former days and describe conditions as foreign to me then as the conditions in my young days are foreign to the present generations."

He adds: "Every settlement in the UK, however big or small, has its history locked up in dark attics and in damp sheds and eventually the story decays along with the archives. I was anxious that this should never happen in the case of Widmer End."