HUNDREDS of people with a sweet tooth were given a weekend of treats at the Ramsbottom Chocolate Festival.

The ninth edition of the annual family event featured scores of artisan chocolatiers and bakers, including Ridiculously Rich by Alana, the tasty business venture of last year's Apprentice winner Alana Spencer.

There was also crafts and food stalls, plenty of entertainment, alfresco dining and children's face painting on offer in the rare East Lancashire sunshine.

Organiser Terri Fletcher said it was an 'extremely successful' weekend.

He said: "It went really well and we were incredibly lucky with the weather this year.

"We changed things around a bit this year so there were more areas to sit and chat and that worked out brilliantly because people spent lots of time catching up.

"Some chocolatiers did struggle with how warm it was but they've been coming for years and they found ways to work with it.

"We had Willy Wonka and Oompa Loompas which was great for the children.

"I think we had more people than ever before."