IT was the biggest traffic jam the world has ever seen.

But there were no horns sounded, no arms waved and no one was getting hot under the collar.

For the vehicles stuck in a seemingly never-ending queue around the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu were all toys – officially the biggest number of toy cars ever assembled in one line.

It took more than ten hours to put together and stretched nearly a mile and a half – all through the museum and around its grounds.

From mini Formula 1 Ferraris to tiny Model T Fords, there was every type of toy car imaginable on display.

Some were even signed by celebrities like racing driver Sir Stirling Moss and TV motoring presenters Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson.

The line meandered around some of the museum’s more familiar historic cars like world land speed record-breaker Donald Campbell’s famous Bluebird.

A total of 24,189 toy cars were used, smashing the previous world record – held by enthusiasts in the southern German town of Fussen – by nearly 10,000.

Models were donated to Beaulieu by customers at 21 Sainsbury’s stores, including the supermarkets at Southampton, Hedge End and Fareham.

Andy Ollerenshaw, a member of Beaulieu’s events team, said: “It is fantastic and we would love to do this again in the future.

“A big thank you to everybody who donated vehicles. It has been a tremendous response from the public and for the staff at Beaulieu it has been a lot of work but everyone has pitched in and helped.”

Now the toys cars will be sold in aid of Hampshire children’s hospices Naomi House and Jacksplace, which care for seriously ill children and young adults.

Children from the hospices put the final cars in place before independent adjudicators counted them and checked that they were all touching.

The world record attempt took place during the museum’s annual Pride and Joy event, which encourages car enthusiasts to take their vehicles along.

Highlights included Ferraris, Aston Martins and the fastest street-legal car in the world, Red Victor 3.