Swimmers planning to take a traditional New Year’s dip in the sea have been urged to heed safety advice after two people disappeared in the water on Christmas Day.
HM Coastguard Fleetwood in Lancashire warned that ‘cold water shock can affect anyone’ and said that conditions ‘are frankly not looking ideal’ for tomorrow.
The lengthy safety advice was shared on Facebook after the swimmers went missing on December 25 having entered the sea at Budleigh Salterton in Devon.
Antiques dealer Matthew Upham, 64, and a man in his 40s remain unaccounted for.
In Fleetwood, a plunge into the chilly Irish Sea has taken place since the 1990s, with some swimmers wearing fancy dress.
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Popular New Year’s swims in Devon include events at Westward Ho! near Bideford, Saunton Sands near Braunton and Ilfracombe.
The coastguard said it felt ‘compelled’ to issue the advice after the ‘tragic’ event on Christmas Day.
The message reads: ‘For Thursday the forecast and the tide times are frankly not looking ideal for a sea swim.
‘The high tides are early in the morning and late at night while it is still dark. There is also strong North Westerly winds forecast which may stir up quite strong waves.
‘Even if it looks settled at first the conditions can quickly change under such weather and are very unpredictable.
‘Right now the water is around 7.2°C and the air temperature feels like 3°C with the wind chill, your body will cool VERY quickly once you’re wet.
‘Cold water shock can affect anyone, even confident swimmers and knowing in plenty of time when to leave the water is essential.’
The coastguard issued 17 safety tips, including joining organised events, checking weather and tide times and swimming parallel to the shore.
The Met Office is predicting winds of up to 29mph with a high of 6C (42.8F) and up to a 50% chance of rain in Fleetwood tomorrow.
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In Exeter, Devon, there is a 50% chance of rain at midday with a high of 7C (44.6F) and gusts of wind up to 8mph.
It’s believed that Matthew may have drowned after extensive searches by the coastguard and RNLI found no sign of him and another man.
Several people were safely helped out of the waves and taken to hospital as a precaution. The second man is believed to have gone in to help save Matthew, who works as an antiques dealer.
A friend of Matthew’s, speaking to the Mail on Boxing Day, said: ‘I spoke to someone who was at the beach yesterday and saw what happened.
‘It looks as though Matthew was trying to come out of the water, but was pulled back out and drifted further down the beach.
‘Matthew is one of a kind, such a nice, cheerful man.
‘He’s got so many friends locally.’
(Picture: William Dax/SWNS)
In a separate incident, a search took place today after two bicycles were found on a beach near Newburn Bridge in Hartlepool.
Police, the coastguard and two Hartlepool RNLI volunteer crews took part in the response after the bikes were spotted at 1.30am.
No-one was found in the water.