THE race to the South Pole involving Worcestershire woman Kate Philp as well as Prince Harry has been suspended for safety reasons.

Ms Philp, aged 34 and from Knightwick, near Worcester, was in a team alongside the Prince taking part in the Walking With The Wounded expedition as part of a team of injured British servicemen and women.

They were competing against groups from the US and the Commonwealth in an expedition organised by the charity.

Ed Parker, the expedition director, took the decision to suspend the race to the pole yesterday, but is determined that all the members will make it to the South Pole as one group.

He said: "We have had a tricky couple of days. The weather remains good but the terrain is very difficult, far harder than we were anticipating and because of various factors, I have decided to suspend the race.

"The reasons for this are entirely safety based. I am looking at the three teams. They are going really well but people are beginning to get very, very tired.

"With our doctor here, who I am in constant contact with, we just feel we are beginning to push people a little too hard, so I have suspended the race."

The charity's website said the suspension was not the end of the challenge, with competitors now planning to complete the gruelling trek as one team.

The final leg of the challenge will begin from the team's second allotted checkpoint, 112 km (70 miles) from the South Pole.

They will be driven to this point and, over the course of the next seven days, move as one whole allied team to reach the South Pole together.