A British woman has swum across the English Channel for the thirty-ninth time, to extend her record for the greatest number of crossings.

Alison Streeter completed the swim from England to France in just under twelve-and-a-half hours.

On reaching the French coast she walked into a local restaurant and ordered a beer.

She said she¿d had twenty francs under her swimming cap but the staff gave her the drink for free. Her nearest rivals have swum the channel thirty-one times.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service