LONG-distance swimmer Mark Blewitt is to brave near freezing waters in a first event of its kind in this country.

The swimming champ, who travels to Rossendale every week to train with Haslingden Swimming Club, will compete in the South London Swimming Club's Cold Water Swimming Championships on January 21 and 22.

He is set to take part in all of the four individual events on the first day but is having to miss the second day's relay -- after realising it clashed with his mother-in-law's birthday party.

The 37-year-old had originally teamed up with three swimmers from Austin, Texas to form an Anglo-American relay team.

The event at Tooting Bec Lido is a first for Britain with cold water championships more common in Scandinavia, Finland and Russia. In Britain cold water swims are traditionally social events held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Mark's entry is fresh from his success in conquering the longest race in Europe when he smashed his own breaststroke record at the same time.

He finished third in the gruelling 21-mile men's freestyle two-way Windermere course at the biennual event.

Mark made it across the finishing line in an impressive time of 14 hours, 17 minutes and 34 seconds -- four minutes and 34 seconds faster than the last time he competed.

In the latest challenge water temperatures will be just above freezing.

Mark competed on Boxing Day in a "warm up" at the Warrington Dolphins Icebreaking 100metre swimming race.

The swimmer said: "The water was 1C. I'm expecting in January it will have warmed up a little bit to about 3 or 4C.

"Your breath gets taken away from you. But once you get over the shock of getting in you have achieved half your goal. As it's the first one of it's kind in Britain I feel I should support the event. It should become an annual event so the inaugural one is pretty special.

"It's the temperature that's the big one but I have done enough of this kind of thing to know I can do it. I'm confident I will do well.

"It would have been nice to swim in all the events in this inaugural championship but to be honest my mother-in-law's party is a good excuse not to swim."

Mark, formerly of Accrington but now living in Preston with his wife Andie, and two children Ellie Mae and Max, is presently British Long Distance Breast-stroke Swimmer of the Year.