A successful attempt will see the women cover a total of 70 miles

The group hopes to complete the crossing from Dover to Calais three times non-stop in a relay format and expect to take one-and-a-half days.

They will take it in turns to swim for an hour each for 30 hours and are hoping to finish on Saturday evening.

Andrea Gellan, 47, from Scotland, is the eldest of the group, with the youngest swimmer 20 years her junior.

Five-hour rest

It has been organised by the current channel butterfly world record holder, Julie Bradshaw.

The group began their swimming feat at 0300 BST on Friday in the hope that they will become the first ladies team to complete three crossings.

A second record may also be broken if the team can complete two crossings in less than 20 hours, under Channel Swimming Association rules.

Before she set off, mother-of-three Mrs Gellan said she was confident her training would pay off.

"I have been training around eight times a week in order to attempt the crossing," she said.

She is hoping to complete the swim in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

A successful attempt will see the six women cover a total distance of 70 miles - with each completing an 11.5 mile swim over the 36 hours.

Once they have swum for an hour, they will have a five-hour rest before taking the plunge again.