Record nails broken in car crash

Lee Redmond had not cut her nails since 1979

An American woman listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world's longest fingernails has had them broken off in a car crash.

Lee Redmond from Salt Lake City, Utah, had not cut her nails since 1979.

Their combined length was more than 28ft (8.5m), with the longest nail - on her right thumb - measuring 2ft 11in (89cm), Guinness said.

Ms Redmond suffered serious injuries in the crash, but is expected to make a full recovery.

A local newspaper, the Deseret News, said she was a passenger in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) at the time of the accident.

Her nails were "damaged beyond repair", according to the Guinness World Records website.

The organisation said she had been a "fantastic ambassador" for them, and that her nails had been "a fundamental part of her life and unique character".