A hungry contestant munched his way into the record books yesterday by eating 27 meatballs in one minute.

Nick Marshall, 41, of Gateshead, beat nine other contestants in a national competition by devouring 27 meatballs using only a toothpick.

After finishing joint first with Frank Sunday, of London, Mr Marshall claimed the title following a tie-break.

All ten contestants had already eaten their way into the final of the competition, which was staged by furniture chain Ikea, at its Leeds store, after winning regional heats.

Mr Marshall smashed his previous personal best of 17 meatballs. He was presented with a hamper and a £250 gift voucher.

After the event Mr Marshall said: "What with going to a tie-break, I ended up eating 50 meatballs in the space of half an hour, that was after I'd eaten a burger and chips for lunch.

''I have always wanted to hold a record in the Guinness Book of Records but I never thought it would be for something this quirky."