Great British Bake Off bets halted by Ladbrokes

It is not known whether any of the original 12 contestants have links with Ipswich

Ladbrokes has halted betting on BBC show the Great British Bake Off after a flurry of wagers sparked fears the winner's name may have been leaked.

"A run of bets" was placed for one contestant, many at shops in the Ipswich area, the bookmaker said.

It is not known which baker prompted the flurry or whether any contestants have connections with the Suffolk town.

The first episode of the popular amateur baking contest aired on BBC One Wednesday evening.

It is the sixth series of the show, which challenges 12 hopefuls to impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

Judges Paul Hollywood (l) and Mary Berry (r) are joined by presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc

Each week the amateur bakers are expected to tackle a baking challenge, with minimal instructions, and present a "signature dish".

'Soggy bottom'

The bookmaker said a flurry of bets came in for one of the 12 contestants whose odds started at 12/1 and were reduced to 6/1, 3/1 and then evens.

"We offered prices on Monday and, almost before the ink was dry, an unusual number of punters were in a rush to back only one contestant," David Williams of Ladbrokes said.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday it was more of the same one-way traffic. That was enough to set our alarm bells ringing and, as a precaution, we suspended our betting.

Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood hold the apron strings when it comes to judging the contestants

"Hopefully, we'll go back up with revised odds sooner rather than later, but we didn't want to get caught with our pants pulled down and a soggy bottom, so we've decided to take a breather until we are reassured that Bake Off hasn't gone off already.

"When you see a run of bets like this for one contestant at the expense of everyone else that can be a sign to suspend betting for a bit to assess the situation," he added.

Several of the bets placed were the maximum the bookmaker would take for wagers made on the show's outcome, and 90% were placed on one contestant.

Contestants are judged by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry

The suspension would not affect bets already placed, the company said.

The first contestant to be knocked out of the competition on Wednesday evening was Stuart Henshall from Surrey.

The 11 remaining contestants are from Berkshire, Lancashire, Cambridgeshire, London, West Yorkshire, Manchester, Essex, Swansea and two from Perthshire.