A man with the world's longest fingernails has cut them off after 66 years.

Fingernails

Fingernails

Shridhar Chillal from India began growing them out in 1952 at the age of 14 when he accidentally broke his teacher's nail and got told off for being careless.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Chillal said: ''I don't know whether the teacher is dead now or not but I would definitely like to say that the thing for which you scolded me, I took it as a challenge and I have completed the challenge and now, I am here.''

Over the years, the 82-year-old world-record holder grew them to combined length estimated to be 29 feet 10 inches.

On why he chose to remove supersize talons, he said: ''I am in pain. With every heart beat all five fingers, my wrist, elbow and shoulder are hurting a lot and at the tip of the nail there's a burning sensation always.''

He added: ''When I decided to cut my nails, it was difficult for me to make this decision.

''But when I realised that after cutting my nails, my nails will be at 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' and they're going to maintain it very nicely and for a lifetime, then I felt like I was do.''