A cancer survivor has smashed a world record alongside his brother-in-law after pulling a car weighing 1,500kg as far as they could in 24 hours.

John Darwen and James Baker pulled the vehicle a huge 32 miles during the challenge, smashing their own existing Guinness World Record set last October by almost 10 miles.

The pair are now waiting for final confirmation from Guinness World Records after submitting their evidence, for their achievement to become official.

They took on the effort to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Redeeming Our Communities, two charities close to their hearts, and have raised more than £2,500, with Mr Darwen having battled leukaemia 13 years ago

Mr Darwen, 31, said: “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved and delighted to have beaten the previous record by 10 miles.

“It’s the journey of getting here which has been the most important part, and we have done our very best to raise as much money as we can for two incredible charities.”

His brother-in-law, Mr Baker, 36, added: “I’m so happy to be able to share this accomplishment with my brother-in-law, my best friend, and for us to hold the record together.

“It’s been a journey getting to this point, but I’m so pleased that all our hard work and intense training has paid off.”

To get ready for the challenge, they trained hard at their local gym, Total Fitness in Preston, making use of its 200 metre running track, cardio and functional fitness equipment, and guidance from the gym’s personal trainers, to get them in the right shape and frame of mind for the gruelling endurance challenge.

Garran St Vall, general manager at Total Fitness, said: “We’ve been supporting John and James every step of the way as we’re always delighted to see club members tackle such big fitness challenges to help raise money for charity.

“The team regularly visited the club and used our diverse range of facilities to help in their training regime, and everyone here at the club is thrilled that they’ve beaten the record.”