Record-breaking hawksbeard weed found at Kinmel Bay

A record-breaking weed has been discovered in Conwy county.

The 198cm (78in) tall hawksbeard, or crepis, plant was found by Clwyd West Conservative AM Darren Millar and his son Toby while they were out walking last month.

It has now been officially certified by Guinness World Records as the tallest of its type ever found.

The plant was spotted by the pair while they were walking their dog near their home in Kinmel Bay, and they immediately wondered whether it was a potential record breaker.

Mr Millar added: "We thought that it was growing out of a wall or something, but on closer investigation, the stem went all the way down to the ground.

"So we carefully plucked it and took it home to measure. It is taller than me."

The crepis plant was independently verified by John Rippin, head gardener at the National Trust Bodnant Garden in the Conwy Valley.

He said: "It's a spectacular monster. It's probably grown up for the light, hence it's got so tall.

"Crepis plants have a lot of stored energy in their tap roots and it's obviously forced its way up through the bush determined to get to the light."

A Guinness World Records spokeswoman said: "We are delighted to be able to ratify the achievement of the tallest crepis plant.

"Congratulations to Darren and Toby on their new Guinness World Records title."