COMEDIAN Peter Kay went rock climbing and helped to break a world record -- though he never got higher than three feet off the ground!

Bolton lad Peter, pictured here sat astride the largest stick of rock on Earth -- naturally Blackpool made -- then took a hammer and chisel to one end to reveal his name running right through it.

Peter, 27, unveiled the 14ft long world beater after staff at The Coronation Rock Company Ltd, Cherry Tree Road North, spent more than 24 hours making it.

It was helping to promote the comic's new video, Peter Kay Live, which has just been released and features a performance filmed at Blackpool Tower.

The monster rock took 12 people a day to make.

It measured 14ft 9in long, with an average circumference of 45 inches and it weighed almost half a ton.

It was made of 67 per cent sugar and 33 per cent glucose and was "rola-cola" flavour -- an in joke to all those who have seen the video.

The stick smashed the previous record -- also set by The Coronation Rock Company Ltd -- in 1991, by nine and a half kilos.

Staff began making it at 7.30am and mixed the ingredients into a big "bar" shape. They then had to spend a mammoth 18 hours -- three people at a time working shifts -- rolling the mixture into the familiar "stick" shape.

Ian Atkinson, company managing director, said: "It has been a lot of hard work but we are particularly pleased with the end result and again to be in the Guinness Book of Records."

Meanwhile, Peter -- who last week completed filming a new TV series, Phoenix Nights, for Channel 4 -- was astounded when he saw the massive stick of rock.

As he took a chisel to it he said: "Anybody fancy a piece of rock? There's plenty to go round!"

ROCK FACT FILE

The Coronation Rock Company Ltd sells more than a million sticks of rock a year.

The firm was established in 1927, has 27 employees, and is based just round the corner from the famous windmill landmark on the way into the resort.

Rock flavours available include lager and lime and beer.

Sticks are exported all over the world.

Managing director Ian Atkinson says: "We didn't particularly relish having a go at the world record again -- it's very hard work indeed. It was worth all the effort though -- it looks great!"