Leslie Binns 'cried tears of joy' after making Everest summit

Leslie Binns wore a hat bearing his young daughter's name on Everest

An ex-serviceman has said he "cried tears of joy" after finally summiting Mount Everest on his third attempt.

Leslie Binns, 48, first tried to scale the Himalayan mountain in 2016, but abandoned it 500m from the summit to save the life of a fellow climber.

He tried again in 2017, only for poor weather to force him to give up.

Mr Binns, from Rotherham, said scaling Everest on Friday 13 May was "the most challenging thing physically and mentally" he had ever done.

Speaking from a hotel in Kathmandu, Mr Binns said it had been "a bit of a rollercoaster since 2016", but everything went much more smoothly this time.

The mountaineer, who was in the Army for 13 years, was blinded in his left eye in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2009, and suffers from PTSD.

It was his third attempt to scale the world's highest peak

He said the trip takes about 40-45 days to complete, depending on the weather, and the most dangerous part can be the descent.

"When I summited, there was no emotion whatsoever because it was so draining," he said.

"It wasn't until I got back down to base camp when I got all the messages that it hit me.

"I broke down with tears of joy, quite a few times in disbelief, it was crazy.

"The dangerous part is coming down, because you have to make sure you have got enough energy to get back.

"It was about getting on the summit, enjoying the moment, but then getting back safely."

The Yorkshireman took photos of himself at the peak wearing a hat with his eight-year-old daughter Emma's name on.

He said: "She's a climber too, she's eight years old. I think she realises what a massive thing it is, I just can't wait to see her."

Mr Binns' first attempt ended when he saved Sunita Hazra, who had lost her gloves and had frostbite

Mr Binns also took a banner for the charity Blesma, which supports veterans who have lost limbs or the use of an eye.

He said they had helped fund his trip, along with donations from family, friends and even strangers from across the world.

He even celebrated his birthday on Everest - for the third time.

"The first time I was suffering from hypothermia, the second time I actually got a birthday cake, on the north side of Everest at base camp.

"This time, I was making the descent, I was going to rest at a low altitude."