BARRELS of fun and gallons of ale made for a wonderful weekend as the fantastic Frocester Beer Festival celebrated its 26th year.

More than 5,000 people flocked to the village cricket ground to listen to live music, munch on pork rolls and take their pick from 108 beers made by 51 different breweries.

And organisers from the Dursley Lions Club must have sacrificed a few barrels to appease the weather gods as a threatened downpour gave way to glorious August sunshine.

From humble beginnings as a tiny marquee on a muddy field, the festival has become a huge event that draws beer fans and families alike from far and wide.

Frocester regular Tom Montgomery, 44, from Nailsworth, has come to the festival 24 times.

"It has grown enormously," he said. "The beer is the main reason I come - there is so much variety from all over the country.

"And it is good to see so many young people here drinking real beer." Lions chairman Neil Baldwin said: "It has become more of an event than a beer festival.

"People from all over the country come to see their friends and catch up. The same mates that came here in their 20s are still coming into their 40s and 50s. The hair may be getting grey but there is still that twinkle in the eye."

And despite the fact that festival-goers drank more than 27,000 pints, the weekend was trouble-free, a boon the organisers put down to responsible drinking.

"We have a responsibility to ensure we obey the law and try to get people to drink sensibly," said Mr Baldwin.

"That is very difficult because everyone is an individual - but we hope people come for an entertaining evening and realise entertainment does not involve getting paralytic."

Tickets for the event were like gold dust, selling out in just two weeks. Individual tickets were selling on eBay for as much as £30 last Thursday, a fact that angered festival organisers.