Silverstone food waste lapped up by larder

Several tonnes of spare food from the British Grand Prix are being saved from the bin and given to local people.

The haul, which includes everything from bread to mohito mint, is being offered during pop-events in Northamptonshire.

This is the fourth year the Towcester Community Larder has organised a "food rescue" mission at the Silverstone circuit.

A total of 12 tonnes of surplus items was collected during last year's mission and 650 people attended events to collect it.

While hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed the racing and the post-race entertainment, an army of volunteers loaded the surplus items on to vans.

Some volunteers did not finish until 02:00 BST.

Katie Steele from Towcester Community Larder said the food was taken to the larders in Towcester and Roade "where another amazing team of volunteers is waiting to sort it all out and get it out to the community."

The food included fruit, vegetables, pastries and cold meat.

There were also more exotic items like passion fruits, melons and mohito mint.

On last year's figure of 12 tonnes, Ms Steele said: "It spurs people on year on year when we know we're saving that much food from going in the bin."

The first rescue mission four years ago involved just two cars but there are now five vans.

She said Silverstone was working hard to ensure as little went to waste as possible.

"When you're catering for over 400,000 people, inevitably there will be some waste so we're there to pick up any surplus. It's a win-win for everybody," she said.

The community larders exist to reduce food waste and help people live independently by collecting surplus food and passing it on to members who pay a small subscription.

Follow Northamptonshire news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830