After nine months of training, Kevin Elliott was ready to run the New York marathon for charity. US immigration, however, had other ideas.

Officials refused him entry because he had overstayed his visa in 1994 - by five days.

The horrified Hove man pleaded with officials to allow him to enter the USA to run a race for which he had already raised hundreds of pounds' sponsorship.

But the New Yorkers put him on a plane home just six hours after he had landed.

Mr Elliott, a web developer who lives with his wife in Wordsworth Street, Hove, said: "I was completely gutted.

"And I was astonished because I have visited the USA three times since 1994 with no problems.

"It is extremely depressing. I have been in training for nine months.

"I felt in great shape and ready to run a three-hour marathon. I had raised about £500 in sponsorship.

"I had also spent £800 out of my own pocket on flights and a hotel in New York.

"I tried to tell them I was in the US to raise money for charity but they said they could make no exceptions."

Mr Elliott flew from Gatwick last Thursday planning to run the marathon on Sunday on behalf of the Faralee Trust, which raises money to help cancer patients at St Michael's Hospice in Hastings.

He travelled with three friends.

He said: "I was the last one to go through passport control where I was told to go to immigration.

"They asked me why I had overstayed by five days in 1994. My only excuse was that it was just a genuine mistake."

During his stay in New York he was interviewed by three people, had his photograph taken three times and his fingerprints taken twice.

A spokesperson for the US embassy said: "Perhaps some leniency would be more appropriate in such cases but times are a lot different than a year ago."