The Guinness World Records 2022 is released today (Thursday September 16) and features a whole host of weird and wonderful record-breakers from around the world.

In the latest edition you can see who holds the title of the most skips over a person’s own hair in 30 seconds, and the fastest 20m walking on two hands.

However, you’ll also find quite a few world records that have either been broken by people from Essex or at locations in Essex.

This ranges from the most joints cracked continuously, to the heaviest weight pulled by pierced ears, to the largest gathering of cardiac arrest survivors.

Even a TOWIE star has managed to get his name in the records book during 2021.

What are the top ten strangest Guinness World Records to be broken in Essex?

Heaviest weight pulled by pierced ears

Pulling anything by just using your ears sounds like an incredibly painful experience, but this is something performance artist Johnny Strange managed to do to the extreme.

At the North Weald Airfield in Essex Strange managed to pull a Cessna 172P aircraft using his ears on May 12 2014.

It came out to a staggering weight of 677.8kg, with Strange pulling it a distance of 6.22m.

Most handcuffs unlocked in one minute

This isn’t quite as out there as pulling an aircraft with your ears, but it’s still an impressive feat nonetheless.

The record was broken by Stuart Burrell in Rochford on July 11 2015, who managed to unlock nine in the time limit.

In fact, Burrell was beating a world record he had already set, having unlocked eight in a previous attempt.

Most joints cracked continuously

Cracking your knuckles is a common enough occurrence, but for Kalai Selven Kali Shanmugham he has the ability to do that with many more parts of his body.

The man from Brentwood set the world record in November 2017 for most joints cracked continuously, with a total of 32.

In order to attempt the challenge Kalai had to do it in a soundproof studio fitted with microphones, with two witnesses counting the pops behind a glass window so as not to interfere.

A timekeeper also had to make sure there was no more than a three second gap  between each click.

The previous record of 26 had been held by James Syiemiong from India, which was recorded in May 2003.

Fastest escape from prisoner transport irons

This record again comes from Stuart Burrell, who completed this challenge on the same day as the handcuffs record.

He managed to escape from a pair of double locked regulation prisoner transport irons is 1 min 3.78 sec.

Again, this was Burrell beating a record he already held of 1min 37.4sec.

Fastest time to make 1000 origami cranes

Now we have a very recent world record, with it have been completed on June 22 2021.

Evelyne Chia from Colchester did this in a time of 9 hours, 31 minutes and 13 seconds.

Chia had attempted this challenge to fundraise for the NHS and chose origami cranes as they are symbols of peace and hope.

Speaking to Guinness World Records she said: “1000 cranes is translated into Japanese as ‘senbazuru’ and it is very popular in Asian countries to fold a senbazuru when people are ill or in need of help.

“Legend has it that the person who folds 1000 cranes can make a wish - mine was that I would be able to raise enough money to make a difference to our National Health Service and I think it came true - I managed to raise £2,310 by the end of the event."

Most capital cities named on a rollercoaster in one minute

Certainly not something you might have even thought of as a potential world record was broken by TOWIE star James Bennewith on May 6 2021.

Also known as ‘Diags’ he carried out the attempt on the Colossus rollercoaster in Thorpe Park, listing a total of 38.

This surpassed the previous record by 11.

‘Diags’ used an ear piece to communicate with his cast mate, Dan, on the ground who read out the randomised list of countries.

He then had to answer as best he could.

Claiming a world record had been on his bucket list for a while, with it being revealed that he broke it on an episode of TOWIE as part of his 30th birthday celebrations.

Largest gathering of cardiac arrest survivors

A triumphant occasion saw 127 cardiac arrest survivors meet in Basildon on June 9 2018

This was achieved by Basildon & Thurrock University Hospitals, Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK and SADS UK.

Participants from ages 11-80 travelled from all over the UK to be a part of this attempt, with one even cutting their holiday in Gran Canaria short to make it.x

Longest held vocal note in a song (studio recording)

A studio recording of singer-songwriter Tee Green performing the Benard Ighner standard “Everything Must Change” contains a same-pitch vocal note that stretches to 39 seconds.

Recorded at a private studio in Hornchurch it lasts three seconds longer than American singer Melba Moore’s 36-second effort at the end of “The Other Side of the Rainbow”, the title track of her 1982 studio album.

Green’s record-worthy note starts 5 minutes 31 seconds into the track and finishes at 6 minutes 10 seconds. The note is held on the word “fly”, in the concluding lyric “Rain comes from the clouds / Sun lights up the sky / Hummingbirds do fly.”

Fastest time to catch and flip a full deck of cards

Maldon and Burnham Standard: Matt Ager with his Guinness World RecordMatt Ager with his Guinness World Record

Matt Ager from Braintree managed to break this record, completing it in a time of 2min 16.21sec on May 12 2020.

It had been a lifelong dream for Matt to break a world record, and he attempted it during the first Covid-19 lockdown to raise awareness for the Make a Wish Foundation.

Most weight lifted by squat dumbbell raise in one minute

We couldn’t end off this list without going back to Stuart Burrell.

Burrell attempted a number of world records during the first Covid-19 lockdown, and attempted this one in Southend.

The weight he lifted through squat dumbbell raises in one minute was 632.40kg on July 4 2020.

The full list of Guinness World Records broken in Essex

Greatest vertical ascent on a bicycle in 12 hours (team) - 9,401.6 metres by Tony and Steve Collins (Halstead, 2 August 2015)

Longest marathon playing field hockey - 56 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds by Chelmsford Hockey Club (1-4 July 2016)

Largest crochet hook - 2.77m by Clare and Broa Sams in Colchester (11 December 2017)

Longest marathon playing indoor field hockey - 26 hours and 38 minutes by Havering hockey Club v Team Harrow (Hornchurch, 7 December 2008)

Largest Superman dance - 1,042 people from Hamstel Junior, Infant and Nursery School in Southend (10 July 2015)

Largest motorised K'NEX vehicle - 3.90 m X 1.22 m X 1.05 m by William Rose in Great Dunmow (12 September 2020)

Fastest time to slalom 10 cars on two wheels - 53.39 secs by Alastair Moffatt in North Weald (8 September 2017)

Most weight lifted by EZ bar French press (French curl) in one minute - 668kg by Stuart Burrell in Southend (4 July 2020)

Most rope crossovers (criss cross) whilst skipping in 30 seconds - 70 by Peter Thompson in Southend (14 November 2019)

Fastest time to hook ten ducks (team of two) - 33.66 seconds by Alasdair McGregor and Michael Abbott in Osea Island (13 May 2017)

Largest collection of Xbox games (PAL region) - 814 by Neil Fention from Rainham, Essex (16 June 2014)

Speed potting on UK table (Male) - It took 59 seconds for Steve Daking to clear a pool table in Colchester (26 October 2002)

Most straitjacket escapes in eight hours - 193 times by James Peters in Chelmsford (27 September 2003)

Longest daisy chain (team) - 2.12km made by the villagers of Good Easter, Chelmsford (27 May 1985)