What a whopper! Gardening couple John and Maureen Symonds could hardly believe their eyes when they dug up this giant beetroot at their allotment.

Gardening couple John and Maureen Symonds could hardly believe their eyes when they dug up this giant beetroot at their allotment.

The husband and wife duo think the 13lb monster, which is more than 50 times the size of a standard beetroot, is the result of our wet summer.

Mr Symonds, 68, said: “The rain has certainly helped.

“We have had big ones in the past - but never anything like this.”

So heavy is the titanic vegetable that the couple were forced to use bathroom scales to weight it.

It was grown on their allotment in Aster Road.

But they were staying tight-lipped over the methods employed in harvesting the giant.

Mr and Mrs Symonds, of Kestrel Road, Ipswich, are planning to donate the beetroot to The Sue Ryder Chantry care home.

But Mr Symonds admitted: “They’ll definitely need a big saucepan to cook it in!”