THREE oil rig workers have cycled from Aberdeen to Consett to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Andy Scott, 46, from Consett, Scott Wither, 33, from Burntisland, in Scotland, and Robert Bryson, 42, from Carlisle, finished their 240-mile trek yesterday.

It has taken them three-and-a-half days, and they broke the journey by staying with friends along the way.

They hope to have the £2,000 they have raised doubled by their employer, Shell.

Mr Scott said: "It was a nightmare, especially at the Scottish border, because the hills just keep going up, and up and up.

"It was harder than I thought it would be, especially on the first day, because we had been on night shift. It took us four hours to get to Aberdeen, then we cycled for 60 miles.

"After a while, though, your body just gets used to it and you keep going."

It is not the first time the three Shell Brent Bravo platform workers have raised money for the guide dogs.

Last year, Mr Scott shared a train ride home from Aberdeen with a partially-sighted woman.

They started talking, and her story inspired him so much that he bought a laptop with a spellchecker and wrote a children's book, Hamish, Morag and McDuff.

Mr Scott raised £600 with his book and Shell added the same amount then.