A champion butcher from Sussex has been voted the best pie maker in the South-East.

Frank Dean Butchers, of Worthing, dominated the South-East England Excellence in Meat Products Awards, recently held by British Meat.

At the award ceremony in Leatherhead, Surrey, judges gave the title of supreme pie champion of the South-East to Frank Dean, who has run his shop in Goring Road, Worthing, for 25 years.

Mr Dean's steak and kidney pies won a gold award but it was his lamb Italia pies, cooked with wine and garlic, that took the title.

He said: "We first took an award in 1999. To get it once is good, to get it twice is fantastic.

"The pie side of the shop is a big part of the business now - I have three of us making them."

Mr Dean put the popularity of his pies down to using quality Scotch beef.

He added: "I was delighted to win again because it shows our quality has not gone down."

Awards organiser David Trotter, sales development manager for British Meat, said: "The standard this year was very high, with 69 butchers being awarded the gold award for one or more of their products.

"These butchers are among the best in the country."