World champion Adam Peaty was 'petrified' of water

Peaty won 100m breaststroke gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last summer

As a young child, swimmer Adam Peaty was so scared of water that he would scream with terror if his mother put him in the bath.

Now, 20 years on, Uttoxeter's Peaty is a double world breaststroke champion and world-record holder.

"He was completely petrified," Peaty's mother Caroline told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I wanted my children to learn to swim, but my friend had to take him at first because it was breaking my heart, he was screaming that much."

Peaty, 20, became the first man to complete the double of 50m and 100m breaststroke world titles with victory over the shorter distance on Wednesday in Kazan, Russia.

He also helped the 4x100m mixed medley relay team win gold in a world record time.

His 200m campaign begins with Thursday's heats before a possible appearance in the final on Friday night and Peaty says his championships could not be going better after a win that recalled fellow Briton David Wilkie's 100m and 200m double at the 1975 championships.

"I got the world record yesterday and secured the title today - I couldn't really ask for more," Peaty said.

"It was just a race to touch the wall first and thankfully it was my day. I missed a couple of strokes, but I just stayed on top of the water."

Peaty, second from left, along with Chris Walker-Hebborn, Siobhan Marie O'Connor and Fran Halsall, also took gold in the mixed medley relay

Peaty's twin individual successes, along with James Guy's 200m freestyle gold and the team's relay victory, mean Great Britain is top of the swimming medal table with one more gold than both the United States and Australia.