Shropshire pumpkin champ is a cheat

Jun 19 2011 by Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury

THE manure has hit the fan in a Midland village allotment competition – after a champion pumpkin grower confessed: “I’m a cheat.”

For years, crowds have gasped as Barry Truss, assisted by four burly relatives, placed his mammoth vegetables on scales at the popular annual pumpkin competition in the sleepy Shropshire village of Beckbury, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

Four times the long-distance lorry driver has scooped the prestigious trophy and cash prize.

But in a real turnip for the book Barry has admitted doctoring last year’s record-breaker by pumping it full of water.

He’s also admitted taking a bung – and using it to plug the tell-tale hole in the vegetable!

Fellow competitors looked on in disbelief as scales creaked under the weight of Barry’s 186lb monster. After claiming the £50 prize, Team Truss hurriedly wrestled the pumpkin back into his pick-up and fled the scene.

“I went white when I heard the pumpkin was going to be given to the main sponsor’s children,” he admitted to the Sunday Mercury. “If they’d cut into that thing, the tidal wave would’ve swept them away.”

Last night, the 57-year-old lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes dirty tricks that has taken root in the village gardening contest. As a competition, he says, it has not always been on the straight and marrow!

His biggest rival for the pumpkin top prize, former allotment association chairman Pete Glaze, this year even planted his six title hopefuls in secret locations after accusing Barry of ‘putting his foot through’ one specimen.

Barry denies vandalism, but when confronted, he pointed to pet Tibetan terrier Millie and whispered: “I’ll find them. You’ve heard of drug dogs? She’s a pumpkin dog.”