Walsall water wonder swims mile aged five

Phebe Lowe, from Walsall, is being tipped by her mother as a star of the future after completing 70 lengths at Sneyd pool in under an hour.

The youngster, of Pooles Lane in Bloxwich, has already declared she wants to be a professional swimmer in the future.

Mother Kelly Pullinger got her into swimming properly aged three and since then there has been no stopping her.

"I just wanted her to swim 25 metres, I think every child should be able to do that for her own safety," she said.

"But she just carried on and on and has progressed from there.

"She did 600 metres when she was four and her instructor then said she wanted her to try 1,000 which she did.

"Now she has done the mile. I said to her after 'are you tired?' and her answer was 'no it was easy'.

"She would carry on if I let her.

"I think she must be one of the youngest children in the country to have swam a mile.

"I have looked on the internet and I can't see anyone else who has done it."

Phebe, who will be six in September, is just about to start her first proper year at Woodlands Academy.

She has done swimming lessons with her school friends.

Miss Pullinger said: "I have had to go in to the school and say that she doesn't need to wear arm bands because she is a little rocket.

"Some of the other children are there crying when they are put in the water and Phebe says to me 'why are they so upset for?' because she has been doing it since she was three."

She added: "She just loves it she has always loved the water.

"I have taken always taken her in the pool ever since she was six months.

"It is good for her asthma because it exercises her lungs.

"We were all just over the moon when she did the mile.

"She has already said she wants to win medals and that's what she wants to do when she's older.

"Her friends and family are just so please we will just support her with whatever she wants to do."