WHEN it comes to adventure the daughter of dare devil David Hempleman-Adams is a chip off the old block.

For Alicia, 30, has just broken the world and British records for hot air ballooning.

Alicia, who grew up in Box and is a former pupil of Stonar School in Atworth, broke the world female altitude record in the AX4 hot air balloon class in Calgary, Canada.

She reached15,100ft and also captured British records for altitude and duration.

She said: “It was pretty frightening up there, I’ve never felt so cold and at that height you feel very alone and a little bit helpless.

“I love ballooning and have done a few flights a year since I got my license eight years ago, but it’s not like I can just pop up to Hyde Park and stick a balloon up. So to break the world and British records is unbelievable for a relative novice like me.”

“I grew up following my Dad’s incredible exploits and he has been a huge inspiration. He instilled an adventurous spirit in all of us and that has helped me in my life and career, but I never thought I’d ever be a world record holder. When I told him I wanted to go for the record I think he thought I was mad, so I’m really proud to have shown him that I really could do it.”

The fashion consultant, who now lives in Bath, has held a hot air balloon license for eight years but is a relative novice in solo flying.

To achieve the new world record height she was in the air for 1 hour 46 minutes and had to endure temperatures of up to -30 degrees Celsius.

In capturing the record Alicia follows in the footsteps of her illustrious father, Sir David, who holds over 20 hot air balloon world records including being the only person to fly a balloon to the North Pole and back.

He was part of the support team in Calgary and was there to greet Alicia when she successfully returned to ground.

In 1998, aged eight, Alicia was at the time the youngest person ever to visit the North Pole and aged 15 she became the youngest person to ski across Baffin Island in the Arctic north of Canada.

Sir David, a former High Sheriff of Wiltshire, said: “I am pleased as punch that Alicia has broken these records, but it’s very dangerous up there so I’m also relieved that she came down safe and sound,” said Sir David. “Attempting to break the world altitude record was the closest I ever came to killing myself. Everything starts breaking at -30, even steel can snap in half like a twig.”

Alicia took the world record from Irishwoman Pauline Baker.