Kevin Ladley will be celebrating on New Years Eve with a glass of his award-winning homemade sloe gin.

Mr Ladley, 57, of Paddock Close, South Darenth, landed the prize for the best homemade gin at the Sloe Gin World Championships at The George Inn, Frant, near Tunbridge Wells.

The construction project manager only entered the competition by chance, after reading about it on the morning of the competition.

Mr Ladley has been making his own sloe gin for more than 10 years. He said: “It’s a hobby passed down from my father, Colin.

“My mother-in-law does it as well – we all have a taste at Christmas. He taught me how to make it but we all have our different recipes and we have learnt it all by trial and error.

“If you make it in September it should be ready for Christmas. The longer you keep it the better. I always knew my gin was good but I was surprised to win the competition.”

Greg Elliott, landlord of The George Inn, said: “Hand crafted sloe gins are generally superior to commercially produced branded sloe gin liqueurs.”

Entrants paid £5 to enter, and proceeds were donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.