THIS year's Devizes Beer Festival was the best ever, according to the organisers.

The festival, held at Devizes Wharf on Saturday, has grown each year.

This was the fifth festival and the organisers, the Devizes branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said it attracted interest from people of all ages.

The festival, sponsored by Bromham- based Mark Wilkinson Furniture, includes live bands and children's entertainers.

Don Jones, the chairman of the Devizes CAMRA, said: "The beer festival is not about men standing around drinking beer, which is what you can get at beer festivals.

"Our beer festival has attractions for all the family.

"There is a really good family atmosphere at the festival and because there are children there we don't get any trouble or rowdiness.

"Many people commented that the family atmosphere was fantastic and there were more families this year. The weather was perfect, it wasn't raining and it wasn't too hot."

The children were amused by entertainers Ticklish Allsorts who sang songs and performed a Punch and Judy show.

They also went on rides on the Wadworth dray pulled by the brewery's shire horses.

Live bands included Sleephouse Corner and Insomnia, both from Devizes, and the Outhouse Critics from Calne. The newly formed Devizes Samba Band Oi Sambistas! also performed and they went down well.

A barbecue was provided by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust which sold hundreds of burgers and hot dogs.

The beer order for this year's festival was increased by ten per cent and there were more than 50 beers and ciders on sale.

A total of 1,300 people went to the festival and between them they drank 5,100 pints of beer and 730 pints of cider.

Some of the beers sold out after a few hours and at 4pm the organisers reluctantly closed the doors to people without advance tickets to ensure there would be enough beer left for those who were arriving later in the evening.

Mr Jones said: "We were sorry to turn people away. Although they were disappointed, they understood why we did it.

"Each year we think we have reached capacity but the number of people who attend goes up each year and it surprises us."

Punters voted the Bumblehole bitter brewed by Olde Swan brewery in the West Midlands as the best beer, followed by Meltdown and Hophead, both brewed by Dark Star from Brighton.

The majority of people who attended the festival were from Wiltshire but some came from Bath, Bristol, Didcot and Kent.

Proceeds from rides on the Wadworth dray and unused tokens to buy the beer raised £170 for the charity CLIC, Challenging Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood.