TWO students from South Essex College appear to have smashed the world record for hosting the longest radio show.

Simon Turp, 17, from Benfleet, and Alex Holland-Martin, 20, from Rayleigh, stayed on the airwaves for a mammoth 88 hours last week – and it was all for a good cause.

The media students, who attend South Essex College’s Southend campus and are hosts on the college radio station Infuse, clocked up more than three-and-a-half days.

They hit the 88-hour mark in the early hours of Saturday morning, having begun transmitting at 2pm on Tuesday of last week.

The duo took plenty of song dedications from students from across all of the college’s campuses in Southend, Basildon and Thurrock after receiving some fantastic support.

As well as the copious amount of coffee, tea, energy drinks and allotted five minute rest breaks each hour, the thing that really spurred the record-breaking pair on was raising money in memory of Simon’s great grandfather, John Turp, from Corringham, who passed away in March.

Simon said: “We were raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support as my way of paying them back for helping out my great grandfather.

“It’s a fantastic cause which supports people affected by cancer, and their families. I think my great grandfather would be proud we are helping others and glad if we manage to actually break the record.

“We were both proud to be doing it in his memory and knowing that really spurred us on in our moments of tiredness.”

Alex added: “The college has been supportive by letting us use the location overnight, and our course tutors have been great letting us have the lessons off to do the record attempt. Also, an epic thanks must go out to Luke Mason and Michael McKenzie for the running of the station.”

The previous official world record was held by DJs in Dubai who lasted 84 hours and 15 minutes last year.

They will now send the recording of the entire attempt to Guinness World Records to find out if their radio show is a world record hit.