A dad has bagged a world record after visiting an incredible 42 museums across London in just one day - using a kick scooter.

Ben Melham, 42, now holds the Guinness World Record for the most museums visited in 24 hours - after being challenged by his children.

The dad-of-two from Surrey smashed the previous record of 33 set by Sujoy Kumar Mitra and Swaroop Dawrani in India.

Ben says that breaking the record took a lot of planning as he had to meticulously map out his route - considering opening hours, travel times and the record guidelines.

He travelled between locations using a kick scooter to speed up his journeys.

Ben began his attempt at 9:03am on October 25 last year at the Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Along the way he visited the Tower of London, the National Gallery, the British Museum, the London Transport Museum and the Natural History Museum.

The record breaker says he could only spend a few minutes in each spot, gathering the evidence he needed before heading off to the next one.

He visited his final museum of the day, the Royal Academy of Arts, at 7:58pm - having covered the distance of a marathon (42 km; 26.2 miles) across London that day.

Ben, who works in the museum sector as an operations consultant, says it was his kids Matilde and Henrik, who he shares with wife Silje, who inspired him to attempt the record.

He said: “This record began as a conversation with my children about how hard it could be to break a world record while we were reading their Guinness World Records book together.

"They challenged me to turn words into action. As someone passionate about museums this was the kernel of an idea that grew after searching current records on the GWR website.

“They were with me for some of the world record museum visits and helped with the whole attempt. In return for their support I hope that I have inspired them to challenge themselves and shown them that by surrounding themselves with wonderful they can achieve anything.”

When it came to picking where to do this challenge, Ben says it was a no brainer as growing up in London “fuelled” his lifelong passion for museums.

He added: “London was an obvious choice for this attempt.

"With over 200 registered museums, it is one of the world’s great museum cities, offering a unique diversity - from renowned institutions like the British Museum and the V&A to smaller gems like the Bank of England Museum and the Bow Street Police Museum.

“London's museums contain millions of objects.

"An object that amazed me as a child, and continues to do so now, is the 28 metre long model of a blue whale in the Mammals Gallery at the Natural History Museum. I cannot think of any other way that you could appreciate the size and awesomeness of these creatures.

“That object made a lifetime impression on me. People continue to be inspired by museum collections every day across the world, what an amazing power these places have to open our eyes.”

The dad, who grew up in London but now lives in Surrey, admits his biggest challenge in breaking this record was spending so little time in every museum, as he would have loved to stay longer.

Ben says he is thrilled to be a record breaker and would definitely consider giving it another go- if anyone ever manages to top his achievement.

He hopes that this mission will help inspire others to visit more museums.

He said: “Museums preserve and share the stories and objects that define us. They are spaces where we come together to reflect on our past, discuss our present, and imagine our future.

“UNESCO [The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] estimate there are 95,000 museums worldwide, meaning that there is likely a museum near you wherever you are in the world.”

Ben is now half-way to achieving his second Guinness World Records title for the most museums visited in a year.

Adam Millward, Managing Editor at Guinness World Records, said: "Hundreds of thousands of visitors make a beeline to the British capital each year to immerse themselves in history, science, engineering, art and nature – as well as a few more delightfully esoteric collections!

"With his record-setting 24-hour culture dash, Ben has highlighted the rich diversity of London’s museum landscape.

"It’s a reminder to locals and tourists alike that there’s always something new to explore and learn about, albeit ideally at a slightly less frantic pace than this record demanded of Ben!

"We look forward to hearing from the Melham family in the coming months about their year-long museum odyssey – that is, if they manage to make it through all those gift shops at the exit!"