A DANGEROUSLY flooded River Lew meant the annual New Year's Day dip for the Hatherleigh Walruses ended up in the flood relief channel but it was no less fun for those taking part and the huge crowd gathered on the bank.

A record number of 29 walruses took to the water which had warmed up considerably from the icy spell running up to New Year.

Hundreds of people watched the spectacle which raised £346 for charity.

The theme this year was the Sydney Olympics with Denise Lewis, Audley Harrison and the Coxless Four's including five-times gold medalist Steve Redgrave stealing the limelight.

Organiser Sandra Collier said it was a bit disappointing not to be able to go into the main river but it would have been irresponsible to do so.

'The flood relief channel was a bit mucky and a much smaller area but for safety reasons we could not go in the river,' she said. 'It's the first time since the event started 14 years ago that we have been unable to go into the main river but we still enjoyed ourselves.'

The Hatherleigh Walruses are known for their toughness — in the past they have had to break five inches of ice just to get into the water.