He said each member of the team would be dragging a sledge weighing up to 120kg - "a very heavy rugby player" - for about 12 hours a day.

BBC: Explorers begin epic Arctic trek

People are being urged to play safely in the snow after the East of England Ambulance Service said that "anecdotally" there had been more than a dozen sledge-related 999 calls across its region this weekend.

BBC: Bletchley in the snow - Jan 2013