By Iain Ramage

The UK's top Christmas tree grower will supply the Prime Minister with a tree to adorn her Downing Street doorstep.

Farmer John Junor has fended off competition from rivals across the UK for the privilege and will take a trip to Number Ten to toast his success.

Currently in the midst of the annual festive harvest at his Farr North farm south of Inverness, the specialist tree grower had a number of much loved species among his crop this year.

Favourite include the prized Nordmann fir, indigenous to Turkey and the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

The Christmas tree grower of the year said: "It's the quality of the tree. It's the denseness, the dark green colour, the closeness of the whirls.

"Unlike the trees on the continent, the British trees want to be dense, close between the whirls, not too long in the leader and a nice A shape."

He's jubilant at being top of the tree in a competition that's grown roots over a decade and blossomed into the trade's 'Christmas tree Oscars'.

His expertise has been acknowledged by a prestigious award, with part of the prize a special reception at Downing Street to see his pick of the crop in pride of place.

It will be an exciting moment for John and his wife Linda.

"Yeah, she's very excited. She's away today to buy a new dress, in fact, and my son Jack, he's coming down and getting a couple of days off school.

"I'm excited too but they're certainly a bit more excited than me."

John has chosen a special 20ft fir, sourced from Dumfries for Theresa May, which will be en route from Scotland shortly and be in pride of place in early December.