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Steve Stevens, 32, of Mereside, set the world record in just 38 seconds at the UK's Strongest Man record breakers competition at Milton Keynes Stadium on Saturday.

The event saw strongmen and women from across the country put their muscles to the ultimate test as they attempted to break world records they had been rigorously training for.

Steve, who performs as Titan in the Circus of Horrors at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, said: “This feat of strength is called a sideshow fear, and it’s what I do in the circus. Not only is it an act of physical strength, but of mental strength as well.

“I do this feat a lot in the circus – it’s actually a fan favourite.

"I wanted to show that the body is capable of amazing things. Everything is about the training. Constant repetition carries conviction, and when it comes to a feat like this, hammering steel nails through wood with your bare hands, it’s more a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

“The pain sets in almost instantaneously. The diameter of a steel nail is next to nothing, it’s so thin, and you have all your weight, body and force travelling through your hand onto this sharp point. My hands were red raw afterwards. The bottom of my palm was swollen.

“I had to do at least five nails to set the world record, and I managed eight in 38 seconds. I was hoping to do five in a minute, because in training I only managed to get six in 50 seconds. I think the adrenaline plays a huge factor. When you’ve got thousands of people screaming in front of you and judges all staring at you, it forces you to bring your A-game.”

His success at the competition means that Steve is now a two-time world record holder, having broken the record for bending steel nails in 2020.

READ: Blackpool Pleasure Beach strongman smashes world record for bending steel nails

He said: “Knowing that you’re one of the best in the world at something is an incredible feeling because you’re rewarded for all of your hard work at perfecting your craft.

“I’ve been doing this act for a year, but only ever used to drive one nail through a plank for a show. I couldn’t practice it multiple times because the pain was just unbearable. After we trained my hands had to be submerged in icy water, my wrists would have to be supported and wrapped up.”

He added that the pain was ‘definitely worth it’, as he has been invited back to the record breakers show next year, where he hopes to smash the world record for lifting the cyr dumbbell – one of the most famous pieces of equipment in strongman sideshows, made up of a metal bar with two massive cannon ball-like weights on each side.