BANGER fans will be in hog’s heaven this week with the start of British Sausage week and one Gwent butcher is celebrating more than half a century years in the business.

Dennis Roberts, 69, of Highway, Croesyceiliog, has been making sausages for 55 years. and now plies his trade at Llantarnam butchers Douglas Willis developing and creating new sausages.

Since Mr Roberts first started making sausages, he said people's taste has become more exotic: "It’s true that I’ve been making sausages since I was a teenager but in those days, our tastes were much plainer - simple beef or pork would do."

At the butchers he now works, they produce more than 25,000 sausages in 20 different flavours each week and some of the less traditional varieties include wild boar and apricot and apple and stilton.

Mr Roberts said: "It’s great that peoples’ tastes change as it keeps things interesting but I have to say that for me you can’t beat plain old bangers and mash for a classic treat."

Mr Roberts has travelled to France and Spain to get new ideas for recipes, and said two of his favourites are Toulouse and the classic pork.

Despite spending decades developing, tasting and making sausages, Mr Roberts said he never gets tired of them, adding: "It's always the challenge of making new recipes."