Members of the Appleton Roebuck-based Diver Training College take a dip in the icy River Ouse off King's Staith.

Divers welcomed the new Millennium by plunging into the chilly River Ouse.

The fancy dress team, which included Father Christmas, a nurse and a sumo wrestler, dived downstream from King's Staith, in York.

It was the 17th time the Appleton Roebuck-based Diver Training College had organised the New Year dip which raises money for Diveability, a charity which helps physically disabled people to scuba dive.

College administrator Ann Easterbrook said: "It has become a tradition and a good start to the New Year for us. We all wear dry suits so it is reasonably warm and it is quite an experience."

This year visibility in the River Ouse was down to only two feet.

But the divers were still able to find items on the river bed including old clay smoking pipes and medicine bottles.

Also chancing an icy swim were regulars from a Ryedale pub who resurrected a New Year tradition with a dip in the River Derwent.

Andy Stimson, licensee of the Royal Oak in Old Malton, plunged into the water to raise money for Candlelighters, the children's cancer charity. He was followed in turn by 10 of his regulars before they dashed home for hot baths and returned to the pub for a warming bowl of soup made by Andy's wife, Juliet.

Dave Beck, who help to organise the event, said: "Andy carried on tradition by going in first. It certainly woke him up seeing as he was the last out of bed on New Year's Day.

"Everyone did absolutely superbly considering half the jumpers this time were first-time jumpers."

Dave said: "They all had to sign declarations saying that they were of sound health and good swimmers."

He said: "There wasn't a dip in 1999, when it was decided not to go ahead with it for many reasons.

"But we felt the first of the first, 2000, was too good an opportunity to miss really - and it was perhaps one last opportunity for some serious fundraising."

Dave said the response was so good that the New Year Dip may yet go on to re-establish itself as an annual event.

"It went really well, and the turn-out was spectacular. We're hoping to raise a huge amount of money."

Swimmers at Scarborough also braved the icy North Sea to take a New Year's Day dip.

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