Pumpkin cheat Barry now wins fair and square

A pumpkin grower who hit the headlines after he cheated during a village hall competition in Shropshire has returned this year – and won, it was reported.

Barry Truss, 57, of Ryton Road, Beckbury, near Shifnal, won a competition held in Beckbury Village Hall last October and walked away with a trophy and a £50 prize.

However, Mr Truss, a lorry driver, had bored tiny holes into his pumpkin and filling the giant vegetable with water – making it weigh a whopping 186lbs. The judges were left shocked at the size of his 13 stone entry.

However, Mr Truss came clean about how he got the pumpkin to such a whopping size. The lorry driver had to hand back his £50 prize money as members of Beckbury Allotment Association hit out.

However, now Mr Truss can hold his head up high after claiming the top prize fair and square. His latest horticultural achievement reached a massive 108lbs, which beat his nearest rivals by an amazing 18lbs, and helped to restore Mr Truss's name as a top class gardener, it was reported.

During the competition, once again held in Beckbury, judges carefully checked the pumpkin for any signs of wrongdoing, but this time everything was above aboard.

The judges struggled to get the enormous pumpkin on to the scales but after the weigh-in Mr Truss walked away the winner.

A delighted Mr Truss now hopes to give the prized pumpkin to charity after saying that this time he carefully grew it using just muck and water.

Last year the vegetable went to an old people's home but it still would have made quite a few pumpkin pies.