�An extreme fundraiser who took a month to crawl the London Marathon dressed as a snail has been forced to pull out of this year’s event due to a rule change meaning the course must be completed in a day.

Lloyd Scott, from Rainham, says he is devastated that he won’t be able to compete in what was going to be his final marathon.

He said: “I am really disappointed by the whole thing.

“The more I talk about it, the more I realise how disappointed I am.”

Lloyd, 50 was hoping to do the marathon in his famous 1940s deep sea diving suit – 10 years since he first donned the outfit. It was due to be his final marathon and mark 25 years since he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

But despite appealing, the organisers say the former firefighter will not be able to take part in this year’s event unless he can compete the challenge within a day.

Lloyd had already managed to secure a �10,000 sponsorship from a company.

He said: “I am sad from a personal point of view but also for the charity, but there is no way that I could have completed it in a diving suit in just one day.”

Lloyd first donned his famous deep sea diving suit in 2002 when he took five days, eight hours, 29 minutes and 46 seconds to complete the marathon. Since then he has dressed as Indiana Jones, St George and Brian the Snail to cross the finish line.

Underwater

He has raised more than �5million for charity by competing in other challenges which have included cycling a penny farthing across Austrialia and doing an underwater marathon in Loch Ness.

In 2005, Lloyd was awarded an MBE for his services to charity and last week he was also selected as an Olympic torchbearer. He said: “I am looking forward to being an Olympic torchbearer, which is a real privilege. I have got to think of something that I can do as my final challenge.”

A spokesman for the London Marathon confirmed that Lloyd has been informed that he can take part with his fundraising costume, if he finishes on the same day as the event.