Kenton Cool on the summit of Everest during a previous expedition

Mountaineer Kenton Cool has extended his British record with a 12th ascent of the world’s highest mountain.

He reached the top of Everest on Thursday, along with fellow British climber Robert Richard Lucas.

Mexican David Liaño Gonzalez joined them at the summit a few minutes later.

The pair, supported by three Nepalese climbers, summited the mountain shortly before 8am local time. They were the first foreigners to make the summit this season.

Everest was out of bounds last year following the devastating earthquakes that killed thousands of people across Nepal, including some at Everest Base Camp, when an avalanche set off by the quake engulfed part of the area.

Gloucestershire-based Cool abandoned an attempt on Nanda Devi East in the Indian Himalaya in October 2015 to fly back to the UK after news his father was gravely ill. He learned of his death during the journey back.

Cool has now successfully climbed 8,848m (29,029ft) Everest a dozen times, four more than British mountaineer Rob Casserley, and five more than Noel Hanna and David Hamilton. Doug Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to summit the mountain, on 24 September 1975, followed two days later by Pete Boardman.

Nepalese climbers Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi Sherpa have both summited Everest 21 times.