Taken aback travellers were faced with an unexpected swarm of shuffling zombies as tons of ‘walking dead’ boarded the new tram routes across the city to join them on their daily journey to work. The horde of terrifying zombies ‘rose from the dead’ to accompany thousands of confused Midland Metro commuters in anticipation of the eighth annual Birmingham Zombie Walk, taking place on Saturday 18 June.

With just over two weeks to go until the event, organisers used the flash mob to spread the word that over one thousand blood-curdling Brummies are set to take to the streets to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity – and tickets are still available.

Back by popular demand the cadaverous crowd will gather on judgement day at Victoria Square before weaving in and out of the city’s backstreets, making eerie groans and showing off their best slow walks.

One of the children’s hospital’s most-popular summer events, tickets are still available at www.birminghamzombies.com and cost just £5 per person. Three different make-up packages can also be purchased and can be pre-booked online, starting from an additional £5 per person.

Organiser Jamie Chapman said: “It was great to bring the excitement of the Zombie Walk to commuters this morning. The public reaction was priceless and so we’re now incredibly excited for this year’s official event on Saturday 18 June.

“Seeing thousands of zombies stumbling through the city centre is definitely not something to be missed, so sign up and help us to raise valuable funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.”

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, added: “Since the event ‘got off the ground’ it has raised over £30,000 for our hospital and made a huge difference to the lives of our brave children and their families.

“This year we want to see a pack of participants dressed in their scariest of attires and wearing their most blood-curdling make-up to help us make our eighth Zombie Walk the best yet.”

The stunt was organised in conjunction with Midland Metro. Ben Ackroyd, Managing Director of Midland Metro, said: “It was good to see the zombies making use of the brand-new tram extension into Birmingham city centre. And this week, we've made it easier for the undead – and the living – to buy a ticket, by introducing contactless card payments and Apple Pay on board our trams."