TWIN brothers who spend four hours each day tending to their pumpkins are hoping to smash the record for growing the largest one in the world.

Stuart and Ian Paton, 57, use more than 100 gallons of water every day to help their gigantic squashes flourish – increasing the weight by 60lbs every 24 hours at their peak.

They said their favourite for this year already has an incredible circumference of 19ft 6ins. The vegetable's stem is bigger than a heavyweight boxer’s forearm.

The brothers are the current UK record holders, with a pumpkin they grew last year weighing more than a tonne at 162 stone (2,269 lbs).

This year the pair, who live in Lymington, are hoping to not only beat the world record of 2624lbs but also become 'growers of the year' by having the heaviest combined total of three pumpkins on the planet at the same time.

They say they have six "absolute monsters" at the moment and will be sending their second and third heaviest to competitions in Holland and France, but keeping their best for the UK.

The pair said they will keep what they believe is their champion to be weighed at this year’s Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Netley, Hampshire, at the beginning of October.

Ian said: “This pumpkin should absolutely smash our previous record from last year. We have only been growing it for 96 days and it definitely weighs well over 2,000lbs.

“My brother Stuart and I probably spend around fours hours a day tending to pumpkins, using 100 gallons of water each day.

“We have six plants growing at the moment and they are all absolute monsters. The smallest one - ‘the runt’ as we call it - is well over 1,200lbs.

“At the moment we can’t gauge how heavy they are going to be.

“The circumference of our biggest is 19ft 6ins around and the stem is bigger than a heavyweight boxer’s forearm, it’s like something out of Jack and the Beanstalk.

"We’re aiming for the world record so it needs to be big.”

The brothers, who work as gardeners in Pennington, admit pumpkins have become a bit of an addiction in the 11 years they have been growing them.

Ian said: “It all started with one pumpkin that we were growing eleven years ago.

“We went away on holiday and when we got back we rushed down the garden to have a look - and there was this big pumpkin.

“It wasn’t too huge - it was about 64lbs, but it had shot up so quickly.

“It’s amazing watching them grow so much - there’s nothing like it, they’re just incredible.”

The twins’ massive pumpkin from last year was flown over to New York for two weeks to be featured in the New York Botanical Gardens.

“It was amazing, they flew us and the pumpkin out. It was a crazy adventure," Ian said.

“After we’re done with the pumpkin it just ends up on the compost, we do save the seeds for our next grow, but there is nothing you can really do with the rest of the pumpkin.

“You definitely cannot make pumpkin pie with it, I hope people will one day stop asking me that. In fact, it tastes more like watermelon than anything else.”

The current world record for the largest pumpkin is 187.5 stone (2624 lbs). It was grown in Belgium by Mathias Willemijns.