Hungry diners at Donatello's enjoyed a dinner with a difference when they entered a pasta-eating competition.

And although the event in High Street North, Dunstable, sounds like a food lover's dream, there was a big catch for all the entrants.

For throughout the five rounds, the competitors had to eat spaghetti in several different ways.

There were joint winners – the Victoria pub and the Pasta Failures – and each team demolished a full bowl of pasta cooked in red sauce.

First they had to eat with hands behind their back, then blindfolded, feeding a friend, eating with a spoon and finally tucking into a bowl of spaghetti laced with chilli.

Almost £1,000 was raised from the event, which will go to Chums, a bereavement service supporting children up to the age of 18 in Bedfordshire.

Another heat of the pasta-eating competition was held at Donatello's in Ampthill earlier this week and the winners of both heats now go through to the final at the same restaurant on Monday, June 30.