SHERSTON villagers guzzled their way through 206 pancakes in a novel pancake eating race in the village on Tuesday.

The event held at the Carpenter's Arms was organised by Sherston 1016 as an alternative to the traditional pancake tossing competition.

Group member Richard Langley said everyone had had a good time.

He said: "It was great fun. We had people from the village there and from Swindon and Bradford on Avon, everybody got into the spirit of it.

"Competitors did not have to worry about their manners and they didn't have to use knives and forks."

The competitor who was first to eat four pancakes was declared the winner.

The 15 entrants split into teams for men, women and children, to compete for the engraved Sherston 1016 frying pan and various runners-up prizes. After a closely contested battle, farmer Sean Richards and women's team winner Tina Miles went head to head in the final.

Mr Richards, 27, of Sherston was the victor, consuming four pancakes in just 27 seconds, with time for a few sips of beer in between pancakes.

He said he had just got stuck in and had no particular tactics.

"I am very glad to have won," he said. "I just swallowed them. They were a little stodgy and harder work than I thought."

The winner of the children's section was Charlotte Langley, 12, also of Sherston, who finished the race in 55 seconds.

She said: "It is great to have won. I just stuffed them all in, but I am not very full up."

The 206 pancakes were made with 90 eggs, ten pints of milk and 4kg of flour.

Mr Langley said he never managed to eat a pancake himself.

He said: "I was watching people eat pancakes all night and when it was finished there was none left for me."

All money raised will go to good causes in the village.