German breaks Channel swim record

Mr Wandratsch said he may attempt the swim again

German swimmer Christof Wandratsch has broken the Dover-Calais record, trimming 14 minutes off the previous record from 1994.

He swam approximately 21 miles (32km) across the English Channel in seven hours and three minutes, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation said.

Mr Wandratsch, 38, said: "I am very happy, and I am completely exhausted after this swim, but it's good."

He did not rule out another attempt but said it would be after a long holiday.

Members of the swimming federation were adjudicating on board an accompanying boat for Mr Wandratsch's swim.

The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

Relay challenge

Alison Streeter, who has swum between Dover and Calais 43 times, was there to greet him on Monday evening, and said he had wanted the record for some time.

"He's been around for a good few years trying it. It's just that the Channel is different every single day - you just have to be very lucky," she said.

Seven women from Kent are also trying to set a new record for swimming across the Channel in a relay.

The members of the Deal Triathlon Club - six swimmers and a reserve - began their challenge early on Tuesday morning and are expecting to take 16 hours to get to France.