FIRE, mud and barbed wire were just a few of the many obstacles which a man wearing a tuxedo confronted to raise thousands of pounds for charity. Alex Martin, 24, of Fellowes Way in Stevenage, completed the gruelling Tough Guy assault course in Wolverhamp

FIRE, mud and barbed wire were just a few of the many obstacles which a man wearing a tuxedo confronted to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

Alex Martin, 24, of Fellowes Way in Stevenage, completed the gruelling Tough Guy assault course in Wolverhampton - branded the world's hardest endurance test - while wearing a full tux.

After crawling under barbed wire, swimming through underwater tunnels, running across flaming peat and walking off a plank into ice-cold water, Alex finished the eight-mile course in just over three hours.

The former John Henry Newman pupil's heroic efforts helped raise nearly �7,000 for Help for Heroes, a charity which supports British soldiers wounded in current conflicts.

Alex, who also attended The Knights Templar School in Baldock, said: "Lots of people are becoming maimed and injured, and these issues are very much in the public domain at the moment.

"We just thought it was a good charity to choose with the kind of event we were doing."

Tough Guy, which attracts competitors from all over the world, is considered such a gruelling challenge that the British Army are now considering sending troops to try it before they go to Afghanistan.

Alex added: "I had to take a week off work to recover.