"IT IS very insulting to Hampshire".

This was one resident's opinion on the new bus shelters in Itchen Abbas near Winchester.

Since they were built, the wooden structures have had mixed reviews and caused quite a stir.

The shelters were funded, built and designed by the South Downs National Park Authority, after Itchen Valley Parish Council called for help as they could not afford to replace dilapidated shelters along the B3047.

One local, who did not wish to be named, said: "There's shock in the Itchen Valley about them. This is the thin end of the wedge.

"They are very crude, very draughty and very ugly. They look like something Bilbo Baggins would use. It is very insulting to Hampshire."

These views have been echoed by more than 195 Facebook users on the popular Winchester Pics group.

One person likening it to a dolly house accessory, another person described them as like something out of The Flintstones.

City councillor Kim Gottlieb said: "They are a very interesting set of designs and they have attracted a lot of attention.

"It has had, probably, as many people liking them as disliking them.

"We have had a number of people writing in saying how exciting they look.

"Time will tell if they withhold against the weather that we will get in the next few months and we will after a time asses the state of them and get feedback from residents."