Two Bradford sisters have swum their way into the world record books after becoming part of the first all-female team to complete a three-way crossing of the English Channel.

Dee and Liane Llewellyn, from Odsal, were part of a team of six swimmers who smashed two world records at the weekend by completing the gruelling 66-mile challenge.

The women were trying to break three records by swimming the fastest relay of the Channel, the fastest two way crossing and the fastest three-way crossing.

The team set off into the icy cold waters from England at 3.30am on Friday and completed their marathon effort in Calais more than 32 hours later.

The swimmers took it in turns to swim for an hour before returning to spend five hours on the boat.

They completed the first crossing in nine hours and 28 minutes just three minutes outside the world record but made up for that disappointment by going on to finish the second leg in nine hours and 38 minutes meaning a new two-way crossing world record of 19 hours and six minutes.

The six swimmers then went on to become the first ever female team to complete a three way crossing of the English Channel, in 32 hours and 31 minutes.

Dee, 26, who works as a teacher, said that coping with the sea sickness had made the challenge more difficult.

She said: "It wasn't very nice because the boat was rocking and the chairs would move and we would all roll across the boat. You felt seasick and you weren't looking forward to going back in.

"We have been doing distance events and up to eight mile swims in the sea, we have been doing quite lot of training for this event but you can't prepare for what happens on board the boat

"It feels brilliant to have broken the records and it was worth it all but I don't know if I would do it again."

Dee and Liane compete for Halifax Swimming Club and met the rest of the team at long distance swimming events.

The other swimmers were Lucy Roper, 29, Pip Spibey, 25, Andrea Gellan, 46 and Julie Bradshaw, 39.

As well as writing their names in the record books the swimmers were also raising cash for the Rainbow's Children's Hospice which cares for terminally-ill children in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands.