ONE minute Batman was drinking a pint, the next minute clowns and Egyptians were crashing on the high street.

This year's Eynsham Shirt Race was as mad as ever as the quirky tradition celebrated its 60th anniversary on Saturday.

Since 1958 competitors have donned their craziest fancy dress and constructed creative prams to race around the West Oxfordshire village before the annual carnival.

As temperatures soared into the high 20s the event proved even more popular than normal, with 55 entries making this the most popular shirt race in years.

Eynsham Carnival chairman Harold Jerred said: "The pubs were unbelievably busy and they all spilled onto the street for the race."

Reputedly the second oldest pram race in the country after that of another West Oxfordshire village, Bampton, the event has attracted the weird and wonderful since 1958.

Entrants are encouraged to dress as strangely as possible, with this year's competitors including the Wizard of Oz, Eynsham's very own pothole fixers and 'Le Tour de Farm'.

The seven-furlong course, starting from St Bartholomew's School and ending at The White Hart, includes six pubs, where one member of each team - the pusher - drinks half a pint of beer or lemonade before swapping places.

Competitors fought for prizes from men's, ladies and mixed winners to best fancy dress and the 'nut award' for the most over-engineered vehicle.

The latter was claimed by Austen and Somin Darnell for their Shaun the Sheep effort, although several costumes were worthy winners.

A parade through the town followed the shirt race, before revellers migrated to Eynsham sports ground for the carnival, itself 80 years old.

With two arenas and activities from BMX biking to croquet there was something for everyone - including a big screen supplied by the Jolly Sportsman pub showing England's World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden.

Up to 5,000 people attended during the day and Mr Jerred put some of this down to the football, but insisted the carnival remained the main event.

Mr Jerred said: "Without the football a lot of people might not have come.

"But this was still a day for Eynsham and the big screen was just one activity."