A PAIR of keen swimmers have smashed a 50-year-old aquatic record by swimming around Walney Island in under nine hours.

Sustained by only two cans of soft drink and a couple of Mars bars, veteran swimmer Chris Green, of Cartmel, and swimming partner Derek Griffiths, of Barrow, plunged into the choppy waters of the Irish Sea just after 8.30am on Saturday.

Eight-and-a-half-hours later, the pair, who only last year swam all 16 of the region's Lakes, emerged triumphant.

After the swim, Mr Green told the Gazette: "There are some very treacherous currents in the water around Walney Island but we had put many months of preparation into this swim so we were confident we would make it.

The last man to swim around Walney Island was Edward May of Barrow and that was around 50 years ago.

He did it ten hours 15 minutes."

The pair, who started their journey at The Round House, Bigger Bank, ploughed through 25 miles of water to reach their destination and were backed up by six canoeists and a motor boat.