INJURY stopped a Brentwood man from completing a mammoth 48-hour non-stop cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End.

Scout leader, Gareth Sell, 31, planned to take on the 1,000 mile route with stopping or sleeping to raise money for children’s charity Unicef.

However an old back injury flared up whilst riding through the Highlands, causing the Afghan vet to abandon the epic challenge just before he reached the English border.

Gareth said it was a huge disappointment but hopes to be able to complete the challenge at some point in the near future.

He said: “We done another 103 miles after stopping in Glasgow overnight to give the back a rest but had to stop just before the border.

“I’ve got great admiration for people that have done it in the past but it was far harder than I ever thought it would be.”

Gareth and his support team, Be Epic Around the World Travel, now plan to take on further adventures to raise money for the charity.