TWO punctures and a broken exhaust did not stop a Witham man getting to Mongolia in an X-reg Suzuki Swift.

Wayne Harris and pal Simon Dixon were among 300 adventurers to take on the 8,000-mile Mongol Rally challenge.

A month after they set off from Goodwood racetrack on July 18, they are back in Blighty.

The pair travelled through Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Russia, in their nine-year-old roadster which had 60,000 miles on the clock before they set off.

Mr Harris, of Godric Road, Witham, said: “The car was brilliant. We had a couple of punctures, we had to weld the exhaust back on at the Mongolian border and we had to bodge the fuel filter which broke off.”

Their sponsorship money will go to Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, Mercy Corp, and the British Heart Foundation.

Mr Harris, who works at Waverley TBS cash and carry in Pedder’s Close, Colchester, said being stuck at the Mongolian border for 48 hours was memorable. He said: “It was all to do with import tax on the car. We never did get to the bottom of the hold- up, but another team were stuck there for five days.”

Mr Harris said another highlight was arriving in Mongolia earlier than planned and having time to do charity work.

He went to a village for orphaned children and helped give out blankets, food and school bags.

Mr Harris said he could not believe the generosity of the Mongolians.

When he stopped for directions, a family invited him in for a cup of tea and offered him nearly all their food.