UK cheese rollers brave bad weather to chase...cheese

Thrill-seekers in England have braved awful weather to take part in an unusual competition in which participants chase a four kilogram wheel of cheese down a steep hill.

Devotees hosted their own unofficial event after the world-famous Cheese Rolling was cancelled for a second year in a row.

The race had been advertised via social media sites Facebook and Twitter.

There were many police officers at the entrances to the event but they didn’t deter the die-hard fans. Several hundred spectators braved the fog and rain to watch around a dozen daredevils chase the cheese 200 metres down Cooper’s Hill.

Competitors slip, somersault and tumble their way to the bottom in spectacular ways during the bone-crunching races - and the first person to grab the cheese winning.

Previous champion cheese roller Chris Anderson, 23, took out the three adult male races while 14-year-old Jo Guest, took the top spot in the women's race.

The event was last held in 2009 and attracted more than 15,000 spectators.