Beauty Blow??

Beauty contest turns into brawl over row about winner

Miss Scarborough beauty pageant descends into a brawl after the favourite is eliminated and supporters claim the wrong woman is given the crown

A beauty pageant descended into a "brawl" when angry supporters claimed the wrong woman had won.

After the favourite for Miss Scarborough was eliminated from the contest, security staff were reportedly punched and kicked, as well as attacked with handbags, by angry spectators. Pensioners were also caught up in the row and thrown to the floor.

The winner of the competition, Jess Gale, 18, was greeted with boos and hisses as she was crowned the winner and walked on stage to collect her tiara.

Other beauty queens were reported to be in tears during the brawl at a hall at the Scarborough Fair Collection - a museum - sited on a holiday park in Lebberston in north Yorkshire.

Diane Yalezo, organiser of the competition, said the group had “completely ruined” the event for Miss Gale.

She told the Yorkshire Post: “I had picked One Moment in Time to be the winner's song this year, and Jess should have been able to walk onto that stage and have that one moment but it was totally ruined.”

Ms Yalezo said they wanted to continue running the competition so Scarborough could enter the Miss England pageant in June.

She said they would hold the north Yorkshire competition in a hotel in future, and replace alcohol with cream teas.