Channel swimmers denied record as oldest to complete crossing

From left - Robert Lloyd-Evans, Bob Holman, Linda Ashmore, Bob Roberts, Kevin Murphy and Parviz Habibi

A group of swimmers is considering legal action after being denied a record which would have made them the oldest to swim the English Channel.

The six septuagenarians, then with a combined age of 449, made the successful crossing to Sangatte beach in France on 12 September.

But they claim the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation has deemed the swim invalid, citing an illegal changeover.

Team member Linda Ashmore, from Dorset, said she was "absolutely gutted".

The now 76-year-old, who lives in Weymouth, said the federation had refused the group's appeals following its initial ruling despite complying "with the rules as they are written".

The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation has been contacted for comment.

'A washing machine'

Ms Ashmore, who is a regular tri-athlete and already holds the record for being the oldest woman to swim the Channel, said of the crossing: "It was horrendous. We left at half past midnight, it was like a washing machine, force 15, really lumpy seas, but we struggled through, we managed it."

She explained the incident at the centre of the controversy involved the changeover between Robert Lloyd-Evans, 80, from Poole, Dorset, and Professor Parviz Habibi, 70, from London.

"Robert was swimming a little bit far from the boat, he couldn't really hear us calling him, he had water in his ears and his goggles.

"Parviz was due to go in, but the observer couldn't get the other swimmer's attention and wanted to wait to do the changeover," Ms Ashmore said.

The rules were "ambiguous" about the amount of time swimmers were allowed to stay in the water, she added.

"It says you should swim for 60 minutes, it doesn't say you must swim for 60 minutes, there's no limit on it.

"The rules say the swimmer must be out of the water within five minutes and he was out within 64 minutes," Ms Ashmore added. "I think they've got it wrong."

The group, which raised £3,000 for Alzheimer's UK, is now considering its next move, including legal action.

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