FOUR mums and another colleague from Pennine magistrates courts gave up a hard-earned lie-in on Sunday morning and went in at the deep end for a good cause instead.

The five, court clerk Sophie Lorimer, senior defaults officer Victoria Stott, deputy cash officer supervisor Helen Rooney, admin assistant Emma Wormwell and cash officer supervisor Shirley Law, took to the water and raised £1,200 on Mother's Day.

They joined dozens of other swimmers at Padiham pool as part of Swimathon 2004, to benefit Macmillan Cancer Relief and the Swimathon Foundation.

The courts team each swam 40 lengths, a total of 5,000 metres, finishing in two hours, 30 minutes and 59 seconds.

Mother-of-two Mrs Lorimer, who afterwards went home to gifts from her proud children and was treated to a well-deserved tea out, said the team was "absoluted delighted," to have raised so much money for charity.