Richard Parks' solo Antarctica bid called off

Adventurer Richard Parks has called off his solo expedition to the South Pole due to the "strain" on his body and "horrific" weather conditions.

Parks, from Pontypridd, skied 306 miles (492km) before ending his Antarctic bid to beat his British record on day 17.

He was forced to stop on New Year's Eve as he was "run down" amid some of the worst weather for years in the region.

He told BBC Radio Wales' Good Evening Wales he was "deeply disappointed" to have to finish his trek early.

"In order to get as far as I have I had to dig incredibly deep, pushing myself harder than ever before," he said.

He took New Year's Day off to recover but had to stop skiing on Wednesday.

Doctors warned Parks, who was less than halfway into his journey, he was "on the edge of the cliff" with the beginning of a cold injury.

They said his condition could escalate quickly, so he took Tuesday off to see if his health improved.

Richard Parks hoped to claim a world record for the fastest solo, unsupported and unassisted journey to the South Pole

"I hit a period of heavy soft snow again and I didn't quite have the energy to push through it like I did in the early parts of the expedition," Parks said.

"This also meant that I wasn't able to move quick enough to generate body heat.

"I also noticed I had a loss of sensation in my left foot so I pitched the tent, called it a day early and got warm to rest and try to understand what the problem was."

On Wednesday he decided to ski again, but noticed problems with his foot after just a few kilometres.

"I have been pushing myself at the limit for quite a while now," he said.

"[The doctor] felt that the foot was the first sign of a specific breakdown in my body above and beyond general ulcers, aches and pains, which I also have.

"The conditions were changing every hour. That wouldn't normally be a problem if I wasn't so empty."

'Good cooked breakfast'

It is his fourth time in the region and he was attempting to reach the pole within world record time - or even within his own British record, which he set in 2014.

"I am absolutely shattered from that first push in the expedition.

"I have had to work harder on this expedition than I have ever had to work before just to keep within touching distance of the world record in horrific conditions," he said.

Asked what he was looking forward to most on his return home, he said he had missed his family - and a "good cooked breakfast".