Kayak marathon nearing completion

Policeman Sean Morley has returned to Cornish waters

A Cornish policeman has arrived back in his home county as he nears the end of a 4,500-mile kayak voyage.

Sean Morley, 39, has set up camp near Plymouth Sound and is now only five days from ending his epic paddle.

He is due to return to his starting point at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth on Sunday.

Sgt Morley, from St Erth, hopes to become the first person to circumnavigate every inhabited island in Britain and Ireland in a sea kayak.

I am trying to enjoy every last minute of my journey Sean Morley

The traffic policeman said he was glad to be back in Cornwall but had mixed feelings about completing his challenge.

"It has been an amazing six months that I will never forget," he said.

"I have just a few short legs to go and am finding it hard to keep myself motivated right to the end.

"Although I am really tired and keen to get back to my own bed, I know that I will miss being out on the water, so I am trying to enjoy every last minute of my journey."

Since leaving Cornwall on 3 April he has battled Force Eight gales, encountered whales and sharks, and met the self-styled "king" of an Irish island.

Sgt Morley, a former member of the Great Britain kayak racing team, is raising cash for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Marine Conservation Society.