A woman who survived cancer has become the first person to swim the Channel four times in a row.

Sarah Thomas, began from Dover just after midday on Sunday and finished, landing at the town's Shakespeare Beach at 6.30am today.

The epic swim had taken more than 54 hours.

Susan Ratcliffe, secretary of the Dover-based Channel Swimming Association, told Kent Online: "Sarah has completed what can only be described as an inspirational swim.

"She has completed a four-way - no one has ever done this in history so she is the first person ever, not just the first woman."

Ms Thomas 37, had already made her mark when finishing her third leg at Calais yesterday when she became on the fifth person to complete a three-way solo.

She had done that in roughly 37 hours.

Updates for her swim were posted on a specially set-up Facebook page, called Sarah Thomas - Open Water Marathon Swimmer.

Messages of support flowed in to keep her morale and strength going.

Ms Thomas had completed treatment for breast cancer last year and dedicated her swim to all survivors of the disease.

Ms Thomas is from Colorado in the United States and had been swimming competitively since secondary school age.

She did her first open water event the Horsetooth 10k in her home state in 2007.

She competed six times in the following years and was female champion three times.

In 2011 she swam the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in New York, coming second place as a woman and fifth overall.

She swam the English Channel for the first time in 2012 and crossed Loch Ness in 2015.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal

Read more: All the latest news from Dover