WHILE storms battered other parts of North Yorkshire, Knaresborough was blessed by sunshine as the town staged its 47th bed race.

However, the rain of recent weeks made the going tough, with the swim across the swollen River Nidd one of the trickiest for many years.

Alan Walgate, of the organisers, the Knaresborough Lions, said: “The Nidd was a couple of feet higher than last year, but we took advice from experts who declared it a difficult but safe crossing. Safety measures were increased but all the teams made it across in one piece.”

He said Ripon Runners were the fastest team, with a time of 14 minutes, 43 seconds, while the fastest female team was the Ripon Runners Girls, at 17 minutes 19s.