WYCOMBE'S great and the good were jeered by noisy crowds on Saturday as they were publicly weighed to see if they have been getting fat on taxpayers' cash.

Giant scales were put in place in Frogmoor to find out how heavy the outgoing and incoming mayor, charter trustees, honorary burgesses and council officers are. It stems from the days when weight used to be an election issue. If they had gained weight it meant they had been indulging in good living at the taxpayers' expense but if they had lost or stayed the same, they were to be cheered for doing a good job. The 300-year-old annual weighing in ceremony is unique to High Wycombe and attracted curious shoppers.

Isaac Oyeyiola, 42, from Boston, USA, said: "We don't have anything like this where I come from. It's great."

In his role as the town crier, acting Marlow sergeant Jon Taylor, pictured left, policed people's weights. He announced and some more' if they had gained and no more' if they had remained the same or lost a few ounces. Outgoing mayor Cllr Liaquat Ali received cheers for and no more', while new mayor Cllr Darren Hayday was playfully jeered for and some more'.

Hecklers from the Earl of Northampton's Regiment of Foote caused Paul Goodman, MP for Wycombe and Marlow, to blush when he registered a weight gain, calling: "Shame on you sir. Spending our money on food while the poor go hungry," before departing to the Wycombe Museum to re-enact a civil war battle.

Ellie Balian, nine, from Spurlands End, High Wycombe said: "I think it's really funny."

After weighing in Cllr Hayday joked: "It's the chain and the gown you see, they are just so heavy."

He added: "I am really enjoying being the new mayor and I want to raise the profile of the town using the internet and the media."