TWO South Lakeland men who are crossing the Sahara in an ageing Land Rover for charity have reached North Africa.

Kendal duo Clive Bradley and Darren Ready were waved off from K Village by crowds on December 27 as they embarked on their 4,500-mile trip to Banjul, just south of Dakar.

The men and their 40-year-old Land Rover ambulance are taking part in the Plymouth to Banjul rally along with another 200 bone-shaking vehicles. Only cars worth less than £150 are allowed to take part in the rally.

After navigating their way across France and Spain, the pair, who have dubbed their team Crash Bash, headed for Morocco where they spent New Year's Day.

The pair, who are writing a live travel log on the web during their month-long adventure, were in Marrakesh on Wednesday, where they had to prolong their stay due to car trouble.

The men are then driving along the west coast of Africa until they reach Banjul before heading inland for three days to donate their ageing vehicle to a local hospital, which currently uses a horse and cart as an emergency vehicle.

You can keep an eye on the Crash Bash team's progress by logging on to www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk/ .