Wigan-born man declared champion as pie contest came under threat

Tom O’Neil, a 24-year-old children’s home worker from Blackpool, chomped through his pastry in one minute two seconds.

Tom, who lived in Hawkley until he was three, said: “I am over the moon.

"I’m happy now I’ve got the trophy in my hand.

"I didn’t do any preparations for the competition.

"I just turned up on the day and got it over the line.

"Around two years ago my local pub in Blackpool hosted a pie-eating competition and I won that.

"Someone told me about this so I thought I’d come and give it a go.

"I was supposed to come last year but I missed it.

"The pie was a bit thick so it was hard to swallow but I got there in the end.”

Tom’s mum Michelle O’Neil added: “I’m really proud of him.

"No surprise with how quick he eats his meals at home so I’m glad he’s put it to good use.

"When we came in we were a bit overwhelmed with how busy it was.

"It is very serious stuff with pies in Wigan!”

The cooked dimensions of the official regulation pie are a diameter of 12cm and a depth of 3.5cm, and a pie wall angle from base to top of between zero and 15 degrees. Ish.

There was increased security at Harry’s Bar on Wallgate for this year’s contest after a plan was apparently hatched to destabilise it.

Officials were tipped off by local operatives that at least one prospective competitor had planned to smuggle in a B&Q funnel under a baggy anorak, having developed a technique to divert pie spillage down inside the front of his trousers, thereby masking actual consumption levels during the rapid pie-eating.

Ahead of the event, piemaster and venue owner Tony Callaghan said: "We suspect the prospective dodgy competitor is a binman, because the tip-off came from a waste disposal operative who sneaks in to Harry's Bar on Tuesdays under cover.

"We'll be deploying security to check for secreted funnels, and anybody who looks like a baddy from Slow Horses will be denied entry.”