TEARS of joy greeted a national championship-winning onion's triumph at Harrogates' Autumn Flower Show.

When Louis Hunt's onion won the National Onion Championship - weighing 11lb 15oz - his girlfriend Catherine Henshaw burst into tears.

"Normally it's the onions that make me cry, but I just couldn't contain myself when Louis won the event," said Ms Henshaw, 21.

Mr Hunt, 41, a retired police sergeant from Longridge, near Preston, has been growing onions for 18 months.

He said: "When someone told me that the world record of 15lbs 15.5oz would never be beaten it set me off. I'm determined to break the world record and this year's entry is just a start on the road to my ultimate victory."

During the run-up to the show, Mr Hunt mounted a 24-hour guard on his greenhouse.

Entries were weighed on metric scales and the result converted into pounds and ounces for the public.

One of the organisers said: "We do it that way because people know what we are talking about when we say how much they weigh in pounds and ounces."

Because no one broke the world record, a £1,000 prize remains unclaimed.

Runner-up in the onion competition was Jack Newbould, of Oulton, near Leeds (10lb 15oz) and third was Ken Threadgold, of Rugeley, Staffordshire, (10lb 14oz).