The sun shone and a record-breaking crowd filled town centre streets on Saturday, for the now famous and increasingly popular Newent Onion Fayre.

Organisers estimate the crowd to have been at least 12,000 strong, the target figure that was hoped for in advance, and possibly as high as 15,000, a record.

Show spokesman Sheila Pain said: "There was easily as many people as the year before, and maybe more."

Central television presenter Wesley Smith opened the grand extravaganza by the Market Hall at 10am.

He enjoyed himself so much, he stayed around until 1pm, in the company of Mrs Pain, the mayor of Newent Coun Fred Passant and deputy mayor Bill Offord.

In particular, Mr Smith did not want to miss the onion eating challenge and delighted in the sight of onion lovers munching away entire onions in little more than one minute and 20 seconds.

Still on a vegetable theme, Mr Smith was asked to present leek grower Mike Davies with the Champions Cup for leeks.

Colwell Jazz Band set toes tapping with the big band sound and Wilde Green added an Irish jig to proceedings.

While crowd numbers were up, the vegetable display was slightly down on previous years.

Mrs Pain said: "Unfortunately, the Onion Show this year clashed with the National Vegetable Society's national competition at Harrogate, and due to the hot summer the vegetable casualty rate was very high. Some people lost their crops and one or two main exhibitors did not exhibit, as they considered the produce not up to the standards of the show.

"The 139 exhibitors in the show were represented a very good turnout, and this reflects the standing the show now has in the vegetable world."

The heaviest weighed onion this year was a whopping 7lb 10oz, but even this was short of the all time show record of 10lb 8.5oz.

The model boats display on Newent Lake proved to be very popular with the crowds.