A champion cheese-chaser has equalled the all-time record for the most cheeses won in the death-defying Cheese Rolling Race.

Chris Anderson, 29, has now taken home a total of 20 double Gloucester cheeses over the past 13 years.

After winning all three men's downhill races this year, he is now level with record-holder Stephen Gyde and has set his sights on breaking the record next year.

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Photo credit: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Mr Anderson left other daredevils trailing in his wake as he sprinted, tripped and tumbled down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire.

However, he will not be tucking into his prizes - an 8lb double Gloucester - as he only likes cheddar.

The women's race was won by 18-year-old Keavy Morgan, also from Brockworth, who has now had two victories after first winning in 2015.

Also taking part this year for the first time was TV presenter Ben Fogle.

Mr Anderson, who is a soldier with 1 Rifles, dedicated his victories to his wife's nephew Arthur Bace, who has a rare life-limiting condition.

He will auction his Double Gloucester cheeses for Joseph's Goal, a charity set up to fund research into Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH).

"These cheeses will be auctioned off for my nephew Arthur who has NKH, it's an incurable condition," said Mr Anderson, who wore a shirt printed with the charity's logo.

"He's 11 weeks old and we want to raise the money to find a cure. There's a lot of studies going on in America.

"We want to raise a lot of money. He's not going to find a cure in time but hopefully it will stop other parents having to go through with it."

Heavy rain overnight and morning drizzle made the steep hill very wet and muddy both for competitors and the thousands of spectators who had turned out to watch.

"The ground is soft so it is really hard to stay on your feet this year. It's really tough," Mr Anderson said.

"I came up here a couple of days before and had a couple of practices. I just try and run, as fast as you can, and get on your feet as quick as you can.

"It was really hard to stay on your feet this year."

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Photo credit: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

After winning all three races and equalling the record, Mr Anderson said: "I won it for little Arthur.

"Hopefully I'll win one next year. I won't be doing all the races next year, someone else can have a chance.

"It's brilliant to have equalled the record, hard to put into words, so happy."

Some competitors travelled from across the world to take part in the series of madcap races, which attracted TV crews from around Europe, while thousands of people lined the course to watch.

Rebel cheese rollers have been staging their own unofficial event after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010.

The cheese is chased 200 yards down the 1:2 gradient Cooper's Hill at Brockworth.

After a year's hiatus, when police warned against the use of a real cheese, the imitation lightweight foam cheese was replaced with the genuine article.

Long-time cheese-maker Diana Smart and her son Rod, who have produced cheese for the chase for more than 25 years, once again provided the wheels for this year's event.

Four cheeses weighing about 3kg each and three smaller ones, weighing about 1.5kg, are used.

The unusual event has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

The official event was cancelled after more than 15,000 people turned up as spectators to watch the 2009 competition.

Since then it has been held unofficially with the police keeping a watchful eye.

Local roads have been closed up to two-and-a-half miles around the slope.