Plymouth's Lewis Pugh nears end of 'coldest swim on Earth' challenge

The "end is in sight" for Plymouth-born endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh as he nears the end of his most difficult challenge yet.

Lewis is in Greenland to complete what he calls the "coldest swim on Earth" to highlight the impact of the climate crisis on the planet.

He is swimming across the 10-kilometre mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord - in front of the world’s fastest-moving glacier - in near-freezing waters with a wind chill that can plummet temperatures to negative numbers.

He officially started his challenge last month but has been regularly sharing updates on his social media, and says he now has just 200m left to go.

Pugh, who has swum in just trunks goggles and a cap in the Arctic, Antarctic, the Himalayas and up the English Channel, was expected to take around two weeks to complete the challenge.

Some days Lewis has been unable to get in to the water because of floating icebergs moving around him. He regularly gets in to the water with the temperatures at around 0°C.

Speaking before starting his challenge Lewis said: "What happens in the Arctic will determine the future of our planet and everything that lives on it.

"The polar regions are feeling the effects of the climate crisis more dramatically than anywhere else on Earth.

"If temperatures continue to increase, the polar ice caps will melt and sea levels will rise.

"Unless we take urgent action to decrease global temperatures by seriously lowering our global carbon dioxide emissions, low-lying islands and coastal cities will, quite literally, drown."