STUDENTS from the College of West Anglia’s Isle Campus took part in a punishing swimming assessment while wearing special RAF jump suits.

The “battle swim test”, developed by lecturer Stuart Harrowing, involved swimming 100 metres and then treading water for two minutes in the heavy suits.

The public services students completed the challenge at the Hudson Leisure Centre, in Wisbech.

They then took part in hypoxic training, which involved pushing a brick across the bottom of the pool as far as possible and swimming the remainder of the length.

The challenges are common training methods used in the British Forces.

Mr Harrowing said: “The event is designed to push the students out of their comfort zone.

“It is an advanced assessment method used when recruits are well into their training and gives the students more variety in their physical training.

“We do it to give the students an authentic feel of what aspects of military life are like.

“The event was a huge success for all involved and will have improved individual confidence for what may be asked of them later in basic training.”