High Wycombe's new mayor jumped on the scales in front of the town centre crowds as part of a unique annual tradition.

Mayor Making returned today (Saturday, May 28) - a ceremony dating back centuries which was originally designed to measure corruption in the town.

Town dignitaries, including the mayor and Wycombe MP Steve Baker, take to the 17th century scales in front of the crowds.

The unique ceremony was introduced in 1678 as then Mayor Henry Shepard’s was reported as being ‘drunk and misbehaving’.

It resulted in dignitaries being weighed at the start of the mayor’s term to find out who had been dining out on the public purse over the previous year.

By weighing the mayor each year, the citizens of the town could see if the mayor was “getting fat” off of the taxpayer’s pound, with shouts of ‘boo’ or cheers depending on the result - and rotten fruits and vegetables would be thrown.

Luckily for the present incumbent, there’s far less rotten produce thrown these days - but the mayor 'Weigh-In' remains a popular annual event, unique to High Wycombe.

Mr Baker said yesterday he was looking forward to the weigh in "with sorrowful anticipation" - but fortunately for him, there were no boos as he had not put on weight in the past year.

Cllr Arif Hussain, who is the new mayor until May next year, also announced his mayoral charities for the next year - Wycombe Mind and Growing Hope - and says he hopes to unite the whole community and support the vulnerable.