A Sussex town crier has proved he is top of the claps after scooping an international award.

After serenading people with tales of his home town, Hastings' Jon Bartholomew won the Town Crying Championship at the 13th bi-annual De Schotse Dagen, a Scottish festival in the gardens of Ooidonk Castle, Belgium.

Jon, supported by his wife Victoria, who also attended the event in period dress, won first place and the clapometer award, for the crier who received the most support and recognition from the audience.

Peter Chowney, Hastings Borough Council's lead member for regeneration said: “It's great news that Jon was invited back to this prestigious Scottish themed event to promote our town and even better that he has won the overall town crying event and the clapometer award.

“Events and achievements like this really do put Hastings on the map and will hopefully encourage more visitors to our town.”

The contest consisted of crying two separate cries of no more than 100 words, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The morning cry was to promote and inform the public of the criers' home town, and the afternoon cry was about the castle Ooidonk.

Belgium took second place and the Netherlands was third.