Crowds in their thousands flocked to Ely over the weekend to mark the 15th annual Apple Festival – and to marvel at a 520-centimetre-long apple peel.

Another successful year for one of the biggest events in the town’s calendar, the daytime event remained consistently busy.

Aileen Sharp, tourism development officer for East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We had another very good and well attended day.

“There was a lot going on: the longest apple peel competition, an apple shy, an apple and spoon race, a storyteller for children and a demonstration from Fenland Falconry.”

The festival, which is organised by East Cambs District Council and Watergull Orchards, also included an apple market where people could buy crafts, cakes and all other fruity goods.

People were also offered the chance to have their garden apples identified and eat a hog roast.

She added: “We’ve never been able to say a year has been better than the last because we have always had a steady number of people going through.”