Man gobbles pie in record breaking time

A civil servant from Bolton has devoured his way to a world record after munching through a meat and potato pie in just 23 seconds.

Forty-two-year-old Neil Collier smashed the current world record by nearly 12 seconds beating 18 other competitors to the fastest time.

Organisers of the annual event, started in Wigan in 1992, say it began as a bit of fun.

"A few of the locals one cold afternoon thought to get a few people eating pies and it's just gone on from there and now it's a sporting event in Wigan," said Tony Callaghan, adding: "A good pie eater? Well, it's someone who can down a pie as quickly as possible. I mean, being from Wigan, we're born pie eaters because you're given a pie at birth. So we're real pie eaters in Wigan."

Vince Bowen, pie-maker, said there was an unusual ingredient in the pies to help them stay fresh.

"In our pies, we use meat and potato. All fresh meat and potato. And we also use an ingredient, viagra, in a very very small amount in the pies. It's used as a preservative, it's well-known as a preservative," said Bowen.

Locals from Wigan are known as the pie eaters after striking workers in the early 20th century general strike were the first to return to work and were said to 'have eaten humble pie'.