A record 64,000 people visited the Malvern Autumn Garden and Country Show.

This was 16,000 up on last year and exceeded all expectations.

The show, now in its ninth year but still the youngest of the Three Counties Agricultural Society's main events, was described buy organisers as "the perfect finale to an extremely successful year".

With a 30 per cent increase in advance ticket sales and the numbers of coach bookings at an all-time high, the signs looked promising from early on.

However, visitor numbers continued to soar as as the weather held for two days of glorious sunshine.

Spokesman Sharon Gilbert said: "A preview of the show on the BBC Gardener's World programme the night before and a staggering 40 per cent rise in catalogue sales on Saturday, gave us some clue as to what we might expect. But we couldn't have imagined that so many more people would turn out this year."

The event boasted a Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show, with judges awarding 17 RHS Gold Medals, the highest since 1999.

RHS director of shows Stephen Bennett said: "The event's high profile continues to make it more attractive to nurseries. Thirty per cent of flower show applications were actually turned down to give exhibitors ample space to show and visitors room to view."

The high visitor numbers were mirrored by the large volume of competition entries, the open gardening section alone attracting almost 1,400. Visitors also enjoyed attractions such as horses and wolves, displays of regional food and wine and entertainment from junior firefighters and mountainbiker Jez Avery.