Lincolnshire fish and chips festival planned for 2015

The Jolly Fisherman is the traditional mascot of Skegness

There are plans to hold the UK's first festival dedicated to fish and chips along the Lincolnshire coast.

Organisers say it would boost the economy of Skegness, identified as one of England's most deprived seaside resorts.

Ideas for the festival, which would initially take place in 2015 and 2016, include a "battle of the batters".

A bid for money has been submitted to the Coastal Communities Fund.

There would be events and activities in areas including Skegness, Alford, Louth, Tattershall, Sutton and Mablethorpe.

David Lambert, one of the people behind the plans, said Lincolnshire was the ideal place to have a festival dedicated to fish and chips.

He said: "We grow the spuds, we grow the peas, the fish is coming off the North Sea and being processed up at Grimsby. Where better place to have it?

"There's one in Australia, there's one in Italy, there's one in France, but there isn't one in Great Britain."

David Lambert said fish and chips was a "democratic" dish for rich and poor

The mascot of Skegness is the Jolly Fisherman, symbolic of the town's connection with fish and the sea.

Mr Lambert added that fish and chips was a "democratic" dish that appeals to everyone - rich and poor, young and old.

The events would be centred around the "social, cultural, economic and historic importance of the UK's national food, fish and chips", he added.

Ideas include:

• Cook-offs to find which potatoes make the best chips.

• A sustainable fishing debate.

• An exhibition on the history of fish and chips.

• A film festival featuring movies set in seaside towns, including Quadrophenia and Jaws.

Events would culminate on 1 October, Lincolnshire Day, but would run over several months, extending the tourism season of Lincolnshire's coast.