'Rupert the bear' smokes out competition

A pipe smoking eccentric wearing a Rupert the Bear style red and yellow waistcoat puffed his way to victory in the British Pipe Smoking Championships.

Mark Dyer, of the Cotswolds Pipe Club, was described as a "competition smoker" who got his pipe smoking for 52 minutes, 14seconds.

Dyer, ranked among the top five puffers in the country for the last few years, was delighted with his win, according to tournament organiser Tim Knight.

Around 30 individuals and five teams lit up for the top prize at the Old Silhillians Rugby and Cricket Club in Knowle, near Solihull, West Midlands.

The John Hollingsworth Pipe Club, Birmingham, smoked their way to the top of the team competition, with their three best puffers breaking two hours 33 minutes in total.

The club also swept the board for second and third place in the individuals competition with member Alex Burn reaching 51 minutes, 31 seconds and Mark Heel puffing out 51 minutes exactly on his pipe.

Competitors, described by Mr Knight as "the most eccentric men you're ever likely to meet," failed to beat the current British record of 2hours five minutes for keeping a pipe going, set by Andrew Briggs from Exeter.

Mr Knight blamed the brand of tobacco used in this year's competition, now in its seven consecutive year, for the low times.

Those taking part were given the same pipe, a grade 3 straight and three grams of tobacco.

They had five minutes to pack their pipe and then two minutes to light it before endurance tests to see who could keep it going the longest.