Twin brothers who spend up to five hours every day tending their pumpkins are set to smash the UK record with this monster squash.

Stuart and Ian Paton, both 55, are hoping their massive 137 stone pumpkin will be crowned the biggest ever grown in the UK - a record they set two years ago.

The gigantic contender has a circumference of around 18ft, is four-feet tall and currently weighs 1,920 pounds (137 stone).

It will be weighed on October 8 at the Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Netley, Southampton, Hants, and the brothers are confident they will claim the top spot.

In last year's competition their pumpkin was the largest grown in the UK and weighed an impressive 1,861 pounds (133 stone).

However it was not as impressive as their entry the year before - which broke the UK record with 1,884 pounds (135 stone).

The brothers work together at their family flower growing business at Pennington, in the New Forest, Hants, and admit to spending up to five hours a day tending the pumpkins.

Stuart says this year they have two other large pumpkins which are nearly as big as the largest and weigh around 1,850 pounds each.

He said: "We've got three this year, two are sitting around 1,850 pounds but one is at 1,920 pounds.

"I think we've got a really good chance of winning again this year - we set the record but I think we will almost certainly beat it.

"This year we've spent more time on them so I think that's given it a better chance, on average we spend two or three hours a day on them.

"Some days we'll spend five hours working on them - we never get bored or fed up with them believe it or not, it's our hobby.

"It's amazing to watch them grow, there's nothing like it. We water them with 100 gallons a day, it's all a lot of work but we love it."

The ambitious brothers have their sights set on beating the world record, which is currently an enormous 2,323 pounds (166 stone).

Stuart said: "In all the years we've been doing this we've never beaten the world record, we're close but we haven't got it yet.

"It's currently at 2,323 pounds and we're on track to beating it one day, I think we have a good chance."