IT will be ready, steady, escargot in Fordingbridge on Tuesday when the Great British Snail Race gets underway.

World-class chef Nigel Davis is hosting the event in the Memorial Gardens close to his Riverside Kiosk that he opened last year.

Scores of competitors, including the Fordingbridge Cub Scouts are expected to gather at the gardens to race the shell-dwellers to win prizes and raise money for the Sarah Kinsley Fund.

The event starts at 6.30pm on July 7. Race entry fees are 50p and there are prizes for 1st, 2nd and third place and for the best decorated snail.