PRISONERS and guards at Worcestershire's Long Lartin Prison raised money for victim support, after rowing the equivalent distance of the Atlantic Ocean.

Around 20 inmates and staff took to the gymnasium in teams of five in the non-stop marathon challenge, which saw more than £2,000 raised for the national charity. The shortest distance across the Atlantic is between Senegal and Brazil- a massive 1,600 miles.

The rowing machine challenge was undertaken in prisons up and down the country, with Long Lartin beating other jails in a record time of 60 hours.

Challenge

"It was a difficult challenge, when one person was rowing others were trying to catch up on sleep," said senior officer Mick Lyons.

"We had an area set aside in the gym for inmates to bed down and we had high levels of security at all times.

"It does seem ironic to raise money for victim support, but people always say not enough is done for victims of crime so hopefully this fund-raising event will help."