HUNDREDS of people descended on a coastal Suffolk village to take part in the British Open Crabbing Championships yesterday.

Elliot Furniss

HUNDREDS of people descended on a coastal Suffolk village to take part in the British Open Crabbing Championships yesterday.

The record-breaking 29th annual championships were held in Walberswick and crowds of children clutching nets and lines snaked along the banks hoping to catch the biggest crab of the day.

Mums, dads and grandparents sat back and enjoyed the sunny conditions while scores of youngsters got stuck in.

Organiser Robin Buncombe, vice president of the British Crabbing Federation, said the event had attracted 1,252 competitors - about 400 more than last year's championships - and had proved a huge success.

He said: “It was a huge success - thee most successful ever. We had a record year to the extent that we had to open an additional emergency fishing area to give everybody a chance to take part.

“Everybody said it was fun - and that's the idea.”

The proceeds from the event will be split between the Walberswick Sea Defence Group and the Blyth Estuary Group with a small donation also heading to the village play equipment fund.

Mr Buncombe said this year's competition had been “unusually intense” but the clear winner was Megan Turner, from Norwich, who was presented with a cheque for �50, a gold medal and a commemorative silver salver by actor and Southwold resident David Morrissey.

As always every competitor received a prize - a pot of finest Shippams crab paste.