Evans was sacked by Virgin after failing to turn up for work

The breakfast slot was made his after he stepped into the breach when Evans was sacked after failing to turn up for work six days in a row.

Penk has now been replaced in that role by Daryl Denham who hosted the drivetime show since he joined Virgin from Birmingham's Heart FM station.

The DJ had been expected to turn down the offer of a drive time show.

However, a Virgin spokesman commented: "Obviously we are disappointed that he has gone. He's a great drive time DJ."

Penk was at one time trumpeted as the saviour of Virgin's breakfast show.

He initially made an impact on ratings, pulling in 300,000 more listeners than Evans.

But it was thought Penk had been unhappy about sharing airtime with his co-host Harriet Scott, having run his own shows for many years.

When Penk failed to turn up for his last show, Scott presented solo.

She has now been moved to weekend morning shows as Denham takes centre stage alone.