Christchurch gardener 'sets new lawn mowing record'

Jody Fassinger mowed laps around Kings Park Athletic Centre in Bournemouth

A gardener claims to have set a new record by pushing a lawnmower 92.7 km (57.6 miles) in 24 hours.

Jody Fassinger, from Christchurch, Dorset, began his attempt, mowing laps around Kings Park Athletic Centre, Bournemouth, at 07:30 GMT on Saturday.

He had hoped to cover at least 41 km (25 miles) and said his legs were now "really achy".

There is no current Guinness World Record for the attempt by an individual.

The longest distance by a team of four is 162.936 km (101.2 miles) and was set by members of the Stowmarket and District Round Table in Suffolk in 1997.

Mr Fassinger, who is head gardener at Hants and Dorset Gardening Services, said: "I'm happy but my legs are killing me. They're really achy."

He will now send evidence of his attempt to Guinness World Records for verification, which takes about 12 weeks.

"He absolutely smashed it," Mr Fassinger's wife May said.

"He drank on the go, he ate on the go - he only stopped to use the toilet."

So far, the bid has raised almost £550 online for Julia's House Children's Hospice, but there were also collection buckets during the attempt which have not yet been totalled.