River Rat Race sees people dive into River Thames

More than 1,000 people have braved the River Thames as part of a charity aquatic course.

The River Rat Race saw participants run, jump, swim, kayak and climb their way around the Docklands in east London as part of a 10km (six-mile) race.

The event raised more than £50,000 for the homeless charity Shelter.

The race started inside The ExCel London before heading out on to the dockside.

From there, they ran west towards the Emirates Air Line, tackling more obstacles as they went before entering the Royal Victoria Dock via a water jump.

This was followed by a short swim and then a thigh-deep wade on to an urban beach.

After that, they then headed east with a mixture of jumping, swimming and wading before tackling the kayak section.

The finale was a 20ft (six-metre) jump from a tower into the river.

The creator of the event, Jim Mee, said: "It was fantastic to see such a brilliant turn out for our River Rat Race event in The Docklands this year.

"This is the first year we have hosted the event in the capital and it was great to see everyone getting in to the spirit of it."

Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive said: "With so many people in England fighting to keep a roof over their heads, this challenge was an amazing opportunity for people to get fit and test their endurance, as well as helping us to provide a lifeline to families up and down the country - and that makes everyone a winner."