Hundreds of people have flocked to watch competitors battle to knock Yorkshire puddings off a 20ft plinth with black pudding in a quirky northern tradition.

The annual World Black Pudding Throwing Championships is taking place in Ramsbottom, Bury, today (Sun).

The event is said to have been inspired by a 1455 battle in Stubbins, Lancs., during the War of the Roses, fought by the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

The two sides are said to have run out of ammunition during the bloody rivalry so resorted to throwing food at each other.

Legend has it that combatants from Lancashire picked up local delicacy black pudding, while Yorkshire puddings were used by their rivals from the white rose county.

The event was revived in the 1980s and now sees thousands flock to the market town to battle it out for the world champion crown.

Competitors hurl the local delicacy onto a 20ft-high plinth in a bid to dislodge a dozen Yorkshire puddings.

Participants stand on a golden grid in the town centre and have three attempts to knock down as many as possible with their underarm throws.

Previous competitions have been won by competitors from as far away as Turkey and Australia.