A mountaineering expert claims that he has uncovered conclusive proof that George Mallory reached the top of Mount Everest three decades ahead of legendary climber Sir Edmund Hillary.

Graham Hoyland has been researching Mallory for years and now claims that the British climber reached the summit, but perished on his way down.

According to Mr Hoyland, George Mallory was the first man to conquer Everest, reaching the summit in 1924 by a route known as the Third Step. Sir Edmund Hilary is generally accepted to be the first person to conquer Everest in 1953.

Mallory is widely thought to have failed to reach the summit of Everest, going missing with his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine on the north east ridge, 800 feet from the summit. The two men are believed to have perished on the way up to the top after attempting to scale a vertical cliff known as the Second Step.

The body of George Mallory was discovered eight years ago and Mr Hoyland is now suggesting that he was on his way down the mountain having reached the summit, having used the easier Third Step route to do so.

Addressing a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society in London, Mr Hoyland, a BBC producer, stated: "Mallory had Irvine with him, who wasn't really a climber and he looks up and sees this enormous prow of a Second Step. I don't think he would have contemplated it when he got up close."