British record tumbles, but world record is safe

No world record was broken, but the British record for the biggest three-legged race tumbled at Backwell's School's inaugural summer fair. The aim was to get more than 500 pairs of legs, but 164 people took part in the 200m race, beating the previous record of 160 (80 pairs).

The competitors were a mixture of young and old, tall and small, most of whom had followed instructions and paired themselves up with someone of a similar height and stride length.

But there were a few mishaps, with pairs falling on the playing field in a tangle of legs and other limbs.

Karen Cook, a member of the Backwell School Association, said: "Everybody said it was great fun."

"We even had a few people who were watching from the sidelines join in. We chose to attempt the three-legged record because any age can do it."