Father-of-two rushed to hospital after non-stop 22 hour Bristol Channel swim leaves him 'blue'

A father-of-two had to be rushed to hospital after swimming non-stop from Devon to Swansea.

Phil Warren swam through freezing temperatures across the Bristol Channel for nearly 22 hours, as part of a fundraising challenge.

The 52-year-old electrician set off from Ilfracombe one night in September and made it to Gower the following evening.

On completing the grueling 31-mile journey, Mr Warren became the only person to do the route using just breastroke alone.

The rules of the challenge meant he was not allowed to hold onto the side of his support vessel at any stage, plus all of his food was served up in liquid form and thrown to him on a rope whilst he was in the water

However the demanding swim took its toll on his body, leaving him exhausted and with fluid on his lungs.

Mr Warren explained: "After being in the sea that long, the strong tides having added an extra few miles to my journey, it did get very cold.

"Luckily my partner Nic is a paramedic and an A&E nurse, so when I finally arrived on the beach at Gower she took one look at me and went, 'Yeah, he's not right'."I was blue, completely exhausted and had a core temperature of 31°C. I was then rushed by ambulance to Morriston Hospital where they also found fluid on my lungs."They did blood tests, chest X-rays and set about warming me up slowly. I was in for about eight hours before getting the all-clear."

The 52-year-old added: "All part of the adventure though, I suppose."

Mr Warren completed the arduous swim to raise money for mental health charity, Mind.

"It's a cause that's very close to my heart because, about ten years ago, I suffered a total breakdown," Mr Warren said.

"All the things I'd been bottling up my whole life just crept up behind me and hit me like a ton of bricks, all at once.

"A huge black cloud descended and I remember thinking, 'I've got to get out of here'. I ended up leaving the house and walking and walking for 12 hours straight, crying the whole way."

The father-of-two sought the help he needed and is now trying to make sure others going through similar experiences can also get that vital support.

He added: "When I grew up mental health problems existed but no one talked about them - the attitude was very much 'pull your socks up and get on with it'.

"We've come a long way since then, but there's always more that can be done to reach out to those who might feel like they've nowhere to turn."

So far Mr Warren has raised thousands for his chosen cause, having previously completed open water swims between Penarth, in the Vale of Glamorgan, and towns in Somerset like Weston.