Intrepid Ann Daniels who has conquered both North and South Poles is back home - and says her next trip is to the Job Centre.

Mrs Daniels, who wrote herself into the record books with her arduous trek to the South Pole, is relaxing, enjoying the luxury of soap and hot running water - and urgently job hunting.

The 35-year-old gave up her job as a finance officer with the Ministry of Defence in order to take part in the all-female expedition.

As a newly single mum - she has split with husband Jez - her priority now is to find a job to support herself and five-year-old triplets Rachel, Joseph and Lucy.

She also plans to write a book about her experiences and is already dreaming of her next expedition.

But she says she will devote the next two years to her children and will not consider leaving them again until after their seventh birthdays.

"It was so exciting meeting them at the airport," she said. "I rounded a corner out of Customs and they just charged at me from nowhere. They've stuck to me ever since."

It was strange adjusting to life back in civilisation, she said. The women were unused to darkness after weeks in which the sun never set. "It was very frustrating at the airport, trying to find our luggage in the dark," she said.

"It's also strange being out and having to find a toilet before you can go. The best thing about being back is hot running water - I'm washing all my clothes at the moment and they stink."

Together with four other women, Ann completed 695 miles on foot, reaching the South Pole on January 24.

The same women had been part of a larger relay party which made it to the North Pole in 1997.

Ann said she was looking at all kinds of job opportunities and was willing to move anywhere in the country. She may move back from Somerset to her native Bradford where members of her family live in Allerton.

"If I had no children I would happily live my life just doing expeditions," she said.

"I don't want to leave them again for a long time. Maybe in two years' time - when their memories of me being gone have distanced. Me and the others have discussed the idea of doing another expedition as a team, and the types of things we might do. It would have to be something that women haven't done before or something British women haven't done before. There are certainly things out there."

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