The Pancake Day festivities started at noon with the traditional ringing of the Pancake Bell, at the junction of Westborough and North Street, just before the Pancake Olympics in Aberdeen Walk got under way.

Hundreds of people took to the streets to watch the event, which featured several heats, semi-finals and final.

A team from SVS Cleaning Services were crowned the overall winners after they just beat TK Maxx into second place after a photo-finish in the final.

The runners representing the two Sands Seafront Apartments teams were selected by Scarborough Mayor Bill Chatt as the best dressed participants, after each member came as an ingredient for the perfect pancake.

Changes to the rules this year, which meant pancakes had to be flipped at specific points on the track, were rigorously enforced, meaning several teams – including the Evening News and last year's winners
Tricolos – were controversially disqualified despite reaching the finishing line first.

Twenty-two organisations were represented by 35 two-man relay teams in the event, which is organised by Scarborough Town Centre Management and Yorkshire Coast Radio.

Town centre manager Malcolm Hall said: "We had a great turnout and the weather was fantastic for the time of year. We narrowed the course to accommodate more spectators and there were definitely more than in previous years.

"The event is unique to Scarborough and is part of our tradition.
"There's not many places that do pancake races any more and there's also the skipping on the Foreshore.

"We altered the rules this year because of potential problems caused by people just flipping their pancakes three times and sprinting to the end. We think we had a fairer race which was more about skill than speed.

"There were quite a few teams disqualified but hopefully next year people will be used to the new rules. We would also like to thank Yorkshire Coast College for donating the pancakes."

Michael Westlund, the owner of SVS Cleaning Services, said he was shocked to have won the event, in partnership with employee Kev Sharpe.

His company will now hold the glass trophy until next year's competition. It was supplied by A Touch Of Glass in Newborough nine years ago and the company still engraves the trophy with the winner's name every year.

A delighted Mr Westlund added: "I'm recovering from a sprained ankle, I haven't run in eight months and the last time I tossed a pancake I was about 10.

"At the start of the day our only aim was not to come last in the first heat.

"It is a really important event in Scarborough, which I think is shown by all of the businesses that take part and the number of people that come to watch. It was great fun and I'm really glad we did it."