Competition was fierce at this year’s Chippenham pancake race with a record number of people entering the event.

Around 60 children and 20 adults took part in the races outside the town hall at 11am today.

The entrants, who hoped to win an official engraved frying pan, were supported by a large crowd cheering on their favourites for each of the seven different categories.

Chippenham town mayor Cllr Andy Phillips started the races from the town hall steps while musical entertainer Martin Smith was on hand to entertain the crowd in between races.

Participants bought their own pancake and saucepans to the event, including Shirley Sergeant from solicitor Forrester Sylvester Mackett who made a special blue pancake.

Ms Sergeant, 27, who won her race, said: “A group of us decided to come down and have a go and it was quite fun really. It’s lovely to see lots of people here.

“We brought a custom made blue pancake so if we dropped it we would know what to pick up again.”

Ben Wodecki, 16, from Sainsbury’s, who won the other adult race, said he thought Shrove Tuesday was much more exciting than Valentine’s Day.

He said: “I’ve just started at Sainsbury’s and I would do something for the company because they gave me a chance.

“It beat Valentine’s Day, it’s a shame that I nearly knocked a child over but he didn’t seem to mind.”

Runners in second place were presented with a jar of maple syrup and all entrants received a lemon donated by SK Fruits of Chippenham.

Coun Maureen Lloyd and helpers from the autumn travellers club also made and sold pancakes in the town hall.

Emma King, events manager for the town council said: “We had much more interest this year but obviously because it has fallen within half-term week. We had a huge crowd in the High Street cheering them on.”