Adventurer begins Thames swim

An adventurer began an attempt yesterday to swim the length of the river Thames. Lewis Pugh, 36, set off from the Thames' source stone, near Kemble in the Cotswolds, and will travel downstream until he reaches the sea.

He began his 203-mile journey on foot, because the Thames is just a trickle at its source and does not become deep enough for swimming until it reaches Lechlade, 19 miles away.

He has completed a string of endurance swims in seas across the globe and in January became the first person to complete a long-distance swim in all five oceans.

He took up the Thames challenge to draw attention to a campaign by environment organisation WWF to fight climate change.