Swimmer upends Oxford-Cambridge Boatrace.

The annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race was halted midway through because of a swimmer in the River Thames.

The two boats were side by side after 8 minutes, but the sight of a man in the river forced them to stop.

Whether the man was protesting or simply enjoying a swim in the Thames on a Saturday afternoon remains to be seen.

It was decided that the two boats would return to Chiswick Bridge to restart from a straight section of the river.

The rules stipulate that the Umpire cannot grant victory to either side until they have crossed the finish line.

The restarted race took place thirty minutes later, with Cambridge racing to victory. Oxford will undoubtedly feel hard done by the outcome as they were tied neck and neck after eight minutes in the first race.

To add insult to injury, Oxford broke an oar moments after the resumption, and as a result fell considerably far behind their opponents.

There was further drama following the race as Oxford bow man Dr Alex Woods collapsed in the boat as it crossed the finish line. Woods is currently being attended to at Charing Cross Hospital.

The swimmer is currently being detained by the Metropolitan Police.