A builder climbed higher than Mount Kilimanjaro - by standing on a ladder at its peak.

When Gary Mobsby, 43, decided to climb the world's tallest free-standing mountain, getting to the top was not enough.

He strapped a metal ladder to his back for the four-and-a-half day ascent and, on reaching the top, climbed it to lift himself 2m above the summit.

Gary said he did not complete his feat in December to reach the record books. He did it "for a laugh".

The father-of-two from Brighton Road, Worthing, said: "I didn't do any training before climbing the mountain. I just like practical jokes and thought it would be a bit of fun.

"It was actually very difficult climbing 5895m with a 15kg ladder in my rucksack but I thought rather than just climb it, which thousands of other people have done, I'd go higher than everybody else.

"I'm sure I'm the only person who has ever done this. I did it for a laugh, not to be competitive."

He made the ladder in three sections with material from a scrap metal yard in a remote village at the bottom of the mountain. He kept his idea a secret from his Tanzanian guide for most of the climb.

Gary said: "He only knew about it three hours before I reached the top because the ladder was concealed in my backpack.

"He then tried to take my bag off me but I didn't let him. I was determined to take it on my own otherwise it wouldn't have seemed the same.

"When I got to the top and climbed on my ladder, I waved a Union Flag around. The view was amazing. I could see mountain tops 200 miles away.

"I didn't stay at the top for long. I just felt knackered. When we got to the bottom, I gave the ladder back to the scrap yard owner and told him what I'd done. He just shook his head and laughed."

Gary's wife Sharon and step-children Katy, 21, and Leigh, 25, were not surprised by his antics.

He said: "My wife went on holiday in Spain while I was in Africa. She thought what I'd done was a bit daft really.

"But my children are quite used to it and didn't bat an eyelid. I once picked up my daughter from a school trip in a monkey outfit, so she's come to expect anything.

Gary has no plans to contact The Guiness Book of Records but does intend to carry on taking part in adventurous pursuits.

In the past, he has canoed down the Congo and the Amazon and trekked through Nepal and the Andes.