An Australian woman who was planning to swim the channel three ways is recovering in hospital after being pulled from the water with hypothermia.

Chloe McCardel set off from Dover on Monday and did the first crossing in just nine hours three minutes.

But the 25-year-old was stopped after another eight hours in the water - and taken to intensive care.

Only three people have ever made three-way crossings. American Jon Erikson was the first in 1981 in a time of 38 hours 26 minutes, Phil Rush of New Zealand made the fastest three-way swim in 1987 in 28 hours 21 minutes and in 1990, Dover swimmer Alison Streeter became the first woman to complete the feat in 34 hours 40 minutes.

Chloe said before the latest swim: "I completed a double crossing of the English Channel last year and as soon as I returned to the pool afterwards I knew I wanted to be the first Aussie to successfully complete a triple crossing."