TWO jet-powered cars will go head to head today in a bid to break the British land speed record.

The high-tech vehicles will attempt to reach more than 300mph to record the highest speed ever recorded on UK soil.

The current record is held by Colin Farrows, 54, from Northampton in his dragster Vampire, powered by an engine from a Gnat jet, which reached 300.3mph in 2000.

At RAF Fairford near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, today he will attempt to break his record - but will face competition in the form of the state-of-the art Split Second car.

Split Second, driven by Mark Newby, 48, from Oxford, is powered by a Rolls-Royce Viper engine from a commercial jet putting out more than 6,000lb of thrust.

The record attempt is being organised by Primetime Land Speed Engineering.

Weather

Team manager Malcolm Pittwood said providing the weather was fine he was confident the record would be broken.

He said: "We have been allowed to use one of, if not the, longest runways in the UK. The signs are good that the cars will both break 300mph and we will achieve a new top speed."

There will also be an attempt to break the 138mph record for an electric car.

The fastest speed recorded in Britain is still some way below the world record, however.

The land speed record was set by RAF pilot Andy Green who broke the sound barrier in Thrust SSC, achieving a speed of 763mph in the Nevada desert in 1997.