AT least the exhausted competitors in this year's famous Knaresborough Bed Push had something comfortable to collapse on afterwards.

The race was attended by thousands of onlookers who lined the banks of the River Nidd and the traditional route around town to take in both the blazing hot sunshine and the colourful decorative displays provided by the entrants.

This year's theme was countries of the world and in true style the teams surpassed themselves with their creativity.

The Mother Shipton Pub team won best decorated for their Egyptian bed complete with giant sphinx and children with cardboard pyramids.

The most entertaining bed award was won by two teams this year: the ladies team from Bebra, Knaresborough's twin town in Germany and the team from GSPK Electronics in Knaresborough, who produced a giant kangaroo with a Dame Edna Everage impersonator alongside it.

And when the decorations had been stripped off in preparation for the race proper, the Bebra Powermen were the fastest male team and the ladies from the Tangerine Health Club were the fastest women.

Despite the route having been altered to avoid a steep cobbled street the police have deemed too dangerous for use, the race went well.

Vera McHugh, Evening Press community correspondent for Knaresborough, said: "It was very, very well attended thanks to the miracle of good weather.

"The event has now been running for 35 years and two years ago the River Nidd was flooded which made the bridge part impossible."

She said they had been worried it might be the same this year but miraculously it went down in time.

"One bed lost a wheel in the High Street. This used to be a fairly regular occurrence but nowadays it doesn't happen much," she said.

"Anyway, they got it on the road again and it was really nice because there was a big round of applause from the crowd."