Farah, who was involved in a social media spat with fellow Brit Andy Vernon this week, powered round the track at the Barclaycard Arena in a time of 8min 03.40sec, beating the previous record set by Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele by 0.85 seconds.

"This means a lot to me," Farah told BBC Sport.

"I love representing my country, giving something back to all the people."

The double Olympic champion had been at the centre of controversy in the lead-up to the race with Vernon, whom he beat to win European 10,000 metres gold in August of last year.

Vernon criticised the field Farah would be facing in Birmingham, and Farah, who was born in Somalia, claimed his Great Britain team-mate had questioned his nationality.

These accusations were refuted by Vernon but the row overshadowed the build-up to the race, although Farah showed it had not affected him as he surged to an emphatic victory.

In fact, Vernon posted on Twitter after the race with a congratulatory message, which read: "Everything aside that was a cracking run @Mo_Farah. Congratulations on the new WR."

Farah, who had been training for the race in Ethiopia, added: "The crowd got really behind me - I'm so pleased.

"It was an amazing atmosphere.

"So many people have asked me when I was going to beat a world record."

Briton Greg Rutherford claimed victory in the men's long jump with a superb leap in his fourth round jump to beat China's Gao Xinglong ©Getty Images



There was more success for the Britons on home soil as Greg Rutherford, who earlier in the week said you may as well throw athletics "to the dogs" following a plethora of recent doping scandals, won the long-jump event thanks to an indoor personal best final round jump of 8.17 metres, which proved enough to beat Gao Xinglong of China.

Rutherford's teammate Katarina Johnson-Thompson won the women's long jump with a national record of 6.93m - her second record in a week following one in the high jump - while Jenny Meadows raced to glory in the 800m in a time of 2:01.25.

Britain also reigned supreme in the 400m races as Nigel Levine won the men's competition with a season's best time of 46.43sec, while Seren Bundy-Davis clocked a personal best of 51.72 to take victory in the women's race, and Allan Smith claimed the men's high jump honours as he cleared 2.26m.

It also proved to be a fruitful afternoon for the American athletes as Sharika Nelvis won the women's 60m hurdles in a personal best 7.87, before compatriot Kevin Craddock repeated the feat in the men's race, crossing the line in 7.58.

The Kenyans monopolised the men's 1500m race with a one-two as Vincent Kibet ousted compatriot Bethwell Burgen in a time of 3:34.91 and their teammate Jeremiah Mutai's 1:45.93 was too strong for the rest of the field in the 800m.

Sprint veteran Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis returned to former glory, finishing the 60m in 6.50 and in the women's event, Ivorian Murielle Ahoure's time of 7.10 was enough to see her seal first place.

Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou clinched victory in the women's pole vault as she was the only athlete to clear 4.80m, a Greek record, and Tunisia's Habiba Ghribi won a close 3,000m race in 8:46.61, while the women's mile was won by Axumawit Embaye of Ethiopia in a time of 4:23.5, the best performance ever to be recorded in Britain.

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February 2015: Mike Rowbottom: Farah and Vernon's Twitter-spat just a drop in the ocean of sporting niggles
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