One-legged climber calls off record ascent bid

Luke Tarrant previously described the climb as "risky, but not reckless"

An adventurer who lost a leg in an accident said he was "traumatised" to have to call off his attempt to climb one of the highest peaks ever attempted by people with disabilities.

Luke Tarrant, 29, from Bedford, had been due to scale a mountain more than 5,000m (16,500ft) high in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, but said there had been complications with draining fluid from one of his legs, meaning he would be unable to wear a prosthetic.

In a post on Instagram, Mr Tarrant said: "I'm trying to wrap my head around it, but my trip is over."

He lost his left leg in a motorcycle crash in 2024 while travelling solo through Colombia on his way to Antarctica from the US.

Mr Tarrant posted an update about the planned expedition on Instagram

His planned ascent, alongside former professional rugby player Ed Jackson, 36, from Bath, was due to begin on Friday.

Mr Tarrant explained he "had an abscess in my leg or a slight inflammation and I was advised by people in the UK that it was worth getting some fluid taken out of it".

He said that despite "making sure" a local doctor "understood what I was asking for" his leg had been "cut open".

The disability activist said doctors in the UK had advised him he was now at "massive risk" of infection and that he would be unable to wear a prosthetic for "maybe weeks".

The climbers expected to take 10 days to reach the summit of the unnamed mountain

Mr Tarrant and Jackson had expected the climb to take 10 days but have set three weeks aside in Kyrgyzstan for the challenge.

They were raising money for the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains, an outdoor- focused mental health charity.

Mr Tarrant said: "It [the climb] was supposed to be a world first for people with disability and it's just turned into this.

"I had a whole month planned here and I'm returning tomorrow [Wednesday] to urgently go to hospital. I'm just disappointed."

Ed Jackson (left) had been set to join Luke Tarrant on the climb

His mother had hoped his motorbike crash would be "the end of him doing dangerous things" but it has instead motivated him to keep challenging himself.

He explained: "Initially after my injury, I thought I want to make sure this this doesn't hold me back and it doesn't mean that I can't complete things I would have done before.

"Now I've kind of gone full circle where I'm actually going to try and do things which I would never have done if I hadn't had my injury.

"It almost makes the whole thing worth it. It's like I need to try and make the most out of the cards I've been dealt to the point where I actually have a better life than I would have had before the injury."