Thousands of garden gnomes descended on Liverpool Street Station on February 8, 2011 morning to form the first ever pint-sized flashmob.

The nine-inch-high brigade of gnomes was equipped with traditional accessories such as fishing rods and rakes, as well as more commuter-esque attire - laptops and mobile phones. Some 5,000 of the ornaments were put at the busy London station to mark the release of Gnomeo & Juliet 3D.

On February 9, 2011, similar tiny gnomes left shoppers and commuters rather bemused when they were plonked in Manchester city centre. The garden creatures, dressed in red and blue hats, appeared in Piccadilly Gardens and outside the Urbis near Victoria train station, reports The M.E.N.

Liverpool Street Station was the location for a previous flash mob as well, when T-Mobile played a spontaneous dance prank on commuters at the station. The mobile phone operator caught workers in the middle of a choreographed dance routine, which was captured by hidden cameras at the station.

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