A POPULAR Worcestershire pub has come up with a unique way of helping the tsunami victims - by having customers race to eat 10ft of sausages.

The bizarre fund-raising event is being held at The Red Hart, Kington, near Inkberrow, and was the idea of a group of regulars at the pub.

The contest will see four teams - one of pub regulars, one of young farmers and two others from Worcester and Inkberrow - each with five people, race to eat the cooked meat.

Customers can then place bets on everything from who will finish fastest to which team will be first to go to the toilet.

All the competition entry fees and money from the bets will then be donated to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami, which devastated Asia and left more than 150,000 people dead.

"We try to do a charity evening every other month but this is the first time we have tried anything like a sausage eating contest," said manager Darren Hales.

"We usually donate to local charities but this has been so huge we wanted to do what we can. Everyone is just trying to do their bit."

The pub expects to cram 150 people into the bar area and is also hoping to have a full restaurant for the event, which starts at 8pm on Wednesday, January 19.

Owners Jane and Barr Pritchard have already collected more than £100 through charity pots in the pub, and they are aiming for more than £500 after the evening.

The pub will use plain pork sausages, which are being donated by Simon Taylor, of Fladbury Butchers, and Keith Dunn, from Dunn's Catering Butchers, in Droitwich.

"We did toy with the idea of adding a few spicy sausages but decided against it," said Mr Hales.

"The evening has been advertised on a blackboard in the pub and we have had a great response so far. Hopefully, it should be a great deal of fun, as well as helping raise money."