Al Qaeda have put the brakes on a once-in-a-lifetime trip across land and sea which two friends from the Black Country have been painstakingly planning for 18 months.

Adam Rogers from Wordsley and Simon Lisseter from Halesowen were due to begin a three-week intercontinental adventure in their Alfa Romeo last Friday.

However, the Plymouth to Dakar rally has been cancelled after the Home Office recommended ‘No Travel’ to Mauritania in Africa, which the tour had been due to travel through.

The travel rating was upgraded from ‘Essential Travel Only’ due to fears al Qaeda is planning to kidnap Westerners.

Mr Rogers, aged 26, said: “There is a high threat of kidnapping in Mauritania and surrounding countries by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

“They know a string of Westerners are coming for this rally and would be easy pickings.

“The country is also disputing recent election results, meaning closed borders and general hostilities on the streets.”

The financial adviser, who works for Torquil Clark in Wolverhampton, said the news had come as a huge blow.

“When I heard I just sat down for 20 minutes or so trying to absorb it,” Mr Rogers, of Bracken Park Gardens, said.

“I spoke to Simon and tried to work out if we could salvage anything. We could maybe have had a holiday in Morocco but we were mentally prepared for The Gambia so it just wasn’t going to happen.

“It is beginning to sink in but I still haven’t driven the Alfa since I got the news, I can’t bring myself to.”

The rally would have started out on England’s south coast, heading through France, Spain, Morocco, Senegal as well as Mauritania before ending in The Gambia.

At the finish line Mr Rogers and Mr Lisseter, 30, of Chatsworth Drive, Halesowen, would have donated their 1993 car, which they bought for £100, for auction by the Gambian Rotary organisation. Sponsorship monies would also have gone to the charity.

Instead they are each facing a loss of more than £1,000 having invested a total of £1,500 on modifications to help get the car across the globe.

Return plane fares costing £400 will not be refunded in full.

“We’ve each put probably 200 hours into the car and setting up a website,” Mr Rogers said.

The pair are now considering whether to sell the car to a competitor hoping to take part in next year’s rally or to retain it for another attempt.