Sir Ranulph Fiennes' Antarctic expedition launched

The first phase of an historic expedition to the Antarctic has begun, with the icebreaker SA Agulhas setting off from the River Thames.

The Coldest Journey expedition - which aims to raise millions of pounds in donations for the Seeing is Believing charity, to tackle avoidable blindness - will see Sir Ranulph and five other explorers attempt to become the first people to walk across Antarctica in the near permanent darkness and super low temperatures of winter.

The BBC's Matthew Price described the mission as the SA Agulhas set off for the first stage of the trip, passing under London's Tower Bridge.