Officer paddling to Channel Isles

Sean Morley will have paddled 8,000km by the end of his trip

The South West's paddling policeman, Sean Morley, has set his sights on the Channel Islands after almost five months at sea.

The 39-year-old traffic officer is currently paddling west of Worthing on the south coast heading for Weymouth.

Given the right weather, he plans to battle the English Channel tides before rounding the Channel Islands.

His 100km (60mile) voyage across the Channel early next week could take him around 12 hours.

Sergeant Morley, from St Erth in Cornwall, plans to finish his record solo circumnavigation of the British Isles, Ireland and outlying islands on 26 September.

I need a spell of settled weather to attempt these crossings. Sean Morley

He will return in his sea kayak to the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth, where he began his marathon on 3 April.

Sergeant Morley said: "I will have had to paddle nearly 5,000 miles to complete my circumnavigation of all the inhabited islands of the British Isles.

"And I still have approximately four weeks worth of paddling still to do - including two very daunting crossings of the English Channel.

"I need a spell of settled weather to attempt these crossings, so all I can do is hope for an Indian summer," he said on Wednesday.

"Otherwise I will continue my journey to Falmouth," he said.

Sergeant Morley is a former member of the Great Britain kayak racing team.

His trip is raising cash for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Marine Conservation Society.