Pranksters in Romford have been sharing their favourite practical jokes and wind-ups for April Fool’s Day.

Romford Recorder: Matthew Stanhope. Photo:Thomas NellistMatthew Stanhope. Photo:Thomas Nellist (Image: Archant)

Havering’s historic market town is home to quite a mischievous bunch of tricksters with family and friends often the favourite targets.

One cruel woman left her boyfriend temporarily broken-hearted after pretending to break up with him while one girl tricked her friend into drinking hair foam.

Other ruthless jokes included one man convincing his sister aliens were in the back garden and some friends slipping one of their group an arousing drug.

One pair of merciless parents said they plan to fool their children this Easter by replacing little chocolate eggs for grapes.

Romford Recorder: Lewis. Photo:Thomas NellistLewis. Photo:Thomas Nellist (Image: Archant)

Railway track engineer Lewis described his heartbreak: “I got a text on the first of April saying, ‘It’s not working, let’s break up’.

“I got all angry and upset, then she texted back ‘Lol joke’.

“She kept it going for about 20 minutes but I felt it was a bit stupid really.”

Lewis and his girlfriend have since broken up for real.

Matthew Stanhope, a 35-year-old project manager, told of the time he fooled his little sister of an alien invasion.

“Going back to when I was 10-years-old, I convinced my sister that a UFO had landed in the garden overnight.

“I hurriedly woke her up saying, ‘You won’t believe it’, and spun a yarn about how a spaceship had touched down in the back garden.

“That was after I’d watched an episode of Beadle’s About when he actually set up a prop in a woman’s back garden.

“What I did was far less impressive than that but I said that aliens had been and left burn marks in the grass.

“The marks had been there ages from a barbecue but she fell for it.”

Another Romford woman, who understandably wanted to remain anonymous after playing this embarrassing prank, said: “At school we gave one of our friends Viagra in a lesson and he ended up horny for ages.

“We were winding him up and teasing him and he had to get up and go to the toilet.

“It was harmless fun but very funny, he was alright about it.”

Daisy, a childcare apprentice, shared her prank: “My cousin always drinks my drink so I put hair foam in it, then she drank it threw up.

“That was about five years ago.

“She didn’t hate me but got revenge by pushing me out of a hotel door into someone.”

Finally, brutal parents Amy and Brendan described the idea they are planning for their children this year.

“What we’re going to do is get mini chocolate eggs and take the foil wrapping off.

“Then we’ll put them around grapes so when the kids open them they’ll think it’s chocolate but it’s grapes.

“They’re only small so they won’t mind but for us it’ll be funny.”

If you play any hilarious practical jokes this April Fool’s Day, share them and your photos with us by emailing news.desk@romfordrecorder.co.uk or tweeting us @romfordrecorder.