'BRITAIN's best BBQ chef' is to attend Whitby's Fish & Ships festival on Saturday, May 18.

Celebrity TV chef Ben Bartlett, who is also known as BBQ Ben, will cook up locally-caught fish at the two-day festival.

Mr Bartlett. who is also president of the British BBQ Association, will join other celebrity chefs Brian Turner and Jean-Christophe Novelli in the town.

Janet Deacon of Welcome to Yorkshire said: "It’s a great time to be casting a spotlight on Whitby as a fishing town.

"Our seafood restaurants are winning awards as UK’s best, and Yorkshire’s shellfish is amongst the best in the country – in demand across Europe, with Whitby being the largest supplier of scampi in the world.

"Visitors to the festival will be able to explore Whitby’s fishing life first-hand, not just tasting seafood, but finding out from local experts how to catch, fillet and dress a huge variety of locally-caught seafood - and even seeing how a local fishing trawler is built."

The event is the first of its kind in Whitby, and is expected to host thousands of visitors.