Tragedy as man in his 50s dies after ‘getting into difficulty' while swimming at popular UK beach
BEACH HORROR Tragedy as man in his 50s dies after 'getting into difficulty' while swimming at popular UK beach
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A MAN has died following a desperate bid to retrieve him from the sea, off the coast of a British beach.
Cornwall Police raced to get the man out of the water, scrambling emergency helicopters after he was found unresponsive on July 20.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Coastguard forces were scrambled after an unresponsive man was spotted in the sea
Credit: Getty
2
Spit Beach is known for its stunning sights
Credit: Alamy
The 50-year-old man was spotted in the sea at Spit Beach Par after getting "into difficulty" while swimming at around 2.15pm.
Police were contacted by HM Coastguard, who scrambled emergency services in a desperate race to reach the unresponsive man.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and South Western Ambulances joined in the rescue effort, with a coastguard helicopter finally retrieving him from the sea.
Attempts to save the Hertfordshire man's life were made upon recovering him from the water, but he sadly passed away - despite the emergency services' efforts.
Following the desperate rescue mission, a spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police were called by HM Coastguard at 2.15pm on Sunday 20 July after a man was found unresponsive in the sea at Spit Beach, Par.
"The man had got into difficulty while swimming and was recovered from the water by the Coastguard helicopter.
"Ambulance and the RNLI also attended.
"The man was treated at the scene but despite the best efforts of emergency services he was sadly pronounced deceased.
"He was in his 50s and from Hertfordshire.
"The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner."
Previously, the force had released a statement saying they were called to Spit Beach at Par, following an alert from HM Coastguard near St Austell.
Spit Beach is popular with dog walkers and, according to St Austell's tourist page, very much a local's favourite.
The beach looks out to the channel, which is notoriously difficult to swim in.
The ice cold temperatures, strong currents and unpredictable weather have even led some to brand the channel as the "Everest of open water swimming".
More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
20 minutes ago
- Spectator
The ballad of broken Britain
In my corner of Bristol, alongside drug dealers, shoplifters and street drinkers, we now have our very own pyromaniac. They started small – an abandoned office chair, a clothing bank and an old telephone box – before moving on to bigger things. Half a dozen cars have been torched over the past few months, including two on my road, and, most recently, a derelict pub. The other Saturday, hearing a commotion outside, my wife jumped out of bed and flung open the curtains. The scene that greeted us was apocalyptic. In daylight, on a narrow suburban street, the arsonist had set fire to three motorbikes parked in a row, which in turn had set alight a car and a hedge. It was pandemonium. People were wandering around in their nightclothes, some barefoot, having been advised by the police to leave their homes. The bikes and car were engulfed in flames, and thick clouds of black smoke billowed over the houses. The fire brigade arrived quickly and soon had things under control, but the resulting carnage was like West Belfast circa the 1970s after a mortar attack. Setting vehicles alight is a serious criminal offence, not to mention incredibly dangerous, yet the police response was sluggish. For weeks, charred motorbike frames and the blackened shells of cars sat on melted tarmac. Wandering the area felt like disaster tourism. Eventually, after mounting complaints, a meeting was called with councillors and police in attendance. However, what was meant to be a discussion about the fires quickly turned into a free-for-all on rising crime. It was a comically British affair – lots of blustering and cries of: 'Do speak up, we can't hear you at the back!' There also seemed to be a few budding local sleuths who'd uncovered some quite extraordinary goings-on that the police were unaware of. Notwithstanding our resident Miss Marples, if we'd gone looking for reassurance, we didn't get any. Although we were told we could report incidents online and expect a response within 72 hours. Amazing. You'd hope the issue would be resolved by then. Still, there were tea and biscuits – so that was all right. In effect, the mostly middle-class crowd came away with the impression that it was down to them to manage the situation: 'You can apply for a council grant to install CCTV at your house, or buy one of those camera doorbell thingies.' The police, it seems, don't have the time or resources. One thing we were promised was increased patrols, but our local 'cop shop' is only open a few hours a week, and I don't think I've seen a policeman on foot in the 20-odd years I've been here. You do see the occasional PCSO, but they engender about as much confidence as a Boy Scout left in charge of an anti-aircraft battery. Thankfully, I recently escaped to Menorca for a week. There's very little crime, no graffiti, no litter, and the sea – a major draw – is crystal clear. The overall impression is of a laid-back, prosperous, well-run place that the inhabitants are proud of. Coming back to the UK was a kick in the Balearics due to the stark contrast. It felt like returning home to find the front door bashed in, the house ransacked and someone cooking crystal meth on the stove. Within hours, we'd seen drug deals, masked youths speeding about on electric motorbikes and drunks stumbling in the road. The usual dope smoke, graffiti tagging and filthy streets completed the picture. If we lived in a more affluent part of Bristol, or some rural idyll, perhaps the return wouldn't have hit quite so hard. But I still wouldn't have been able to escape the headlines: water company bosses pocketing millions while pumping effluent into rivers and seas; polls suggesting almost half of the public think Britain is becoming lawless; a justice system in crisis; dire public finances; a government desperate to avoid another summer of rioting. The sense – to borrow one of the Prime Minister's favourite phrases – is of a country in managed decline. Except the decline isn't being managed very well. Yes, Menorca is small and sparsely populated – easier to keep pristine. And yes, coming home from holiday is always a downer. However, the overwhelming impression was of returning to a country that had lost its way. A 16-year-old boy was recently arrested in connection with the pub fire. Dozens of cars have since had their tyres slashed, and someone took a machete to a row of saplings – so, irrespective of whether or not he's the arsonist, we're not out of the woods yet. Although, thanks to the idiot with the machete, there won't now be a wood – or even a copse. In Richard II, John of Gaunt laments: 'That England, that was wont to conquer others, Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.' Hasn't it just? And, as Abraham Lincoln observed: 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' So, while tea and biscuits may long have been a social lubricant in Britain, there are times when cohesion is so frayed, we need more than that – and I'm afraid this is one of them. To be honest, though, you'd probably get bored with Menorca after a while. All that sand – it's a bastard to get out of your shoes.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Notorious Scots coke cartel hood ‘The Captain' has house and cars torched by maniac rivals
Cops are understood to have issued him with an Osman 'threat to life' warning following the attack MOB BOSS CRONY TARGETED Notorious Scots coke cartel hood 'The Captain' has house and cars torched by maniac rivals Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COCAINE kingpin's house was firebombed after he was let home from jail to visit family, we can reveal. Paul 'The Captain' Fleming, 40, had his front door and two cars parked outside torched less than 12 hours after he was freed from Castle Huntly open nick on leave. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Cocaine trafficker Paul 'The Captain' Fleming was targeted 6 Sources claimed culprits were acting under orders of caged hitman Barry Harvey 6 It happened less than 12 hours after he was freed from Castle Huntly nick on leave Cops are understood to have issued him with an Osman 'threat to life' warning after visiting him in prison near Dundee following the chilling attack. Sources claimed the culprits were acting under the orders of caged hitman Barry Harvey, 37, when they targeted the pad in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. The feared gun thug is said to have had a bust-up with Fleming — jailed for almost ten years for smuggling coke into the UK in solar panels alongside Scots cartel boss James 'The Don' White. An insider said last night: 'Fleming was only home half a day when four guys burned two of his cars and his house. 'Harvey has a personal gripe with Fleming and he's said to be behind it. 'Everybody knows Harvey is a dangerous guy and even though he's inside he still has the connections and power to go after his enemies.' None of the guys in Castle Huntly can stand Fleming. Police have been up to serve him an Osman warning. He's in real danger Our source It is believed married dad-of-four Fleming was due to be home for a week but had his leave cancelled after the attack just after 1am on July 17. Harvey was jailed for at least 29 years in March last year for shooting dead gym boss Gary More, 32, in Airdrie in 2018. He was part of a crew also nailed for murdering Rafal Lyko, 36, in Blantyre, plus a bid to kill Scott Bennett, 43, in Rutherglen, near Glasgow. Our source added: 'None of the guys in Castle Huntly can stand Fleming. Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed "Police have been up to serve him an Osman warning. He's in real danger.' We told how Fleming and White made millions through the coke in solar panels racket. They were snared when cops cracked the secret EncroChat phones used by mobs to direct operations. Everybody knows Harvey is a dangerous guy and even though he's inside he still has the connections and power to go after his enemies An insider Fleming fled to Alicante, Spain, in 2019 but was extradited back to Britain to face justice two years ago. He was ordered to pay back just £126,000 during a proceeds of crime hearing in February — despite amassing at least £2million from the plot. White got almost a decade in jail in 2023 for masterminding the global operation. Police said: 'We were called to a report of a wilful vehicle fire in Bishopbriggs. Enquiries continue.' The Scottish Prison Service said: 'We do not comment on individuals.' 6 Fleming was the right-hand man to cartel boss James 'The Don' White Credit: PA 6 It happened less than 12 hours after he was freed from Castle Huntly nick on leave
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Investigators quiz jailed Ghislaine Maxwell about Prince Andrew, claim reports
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche asked her about more than 100 people linked to her paedophile ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) INVESTIGATORS quizzed jailed madam Ghislaine Maxwell about Prince Andrew, it is reported. She answered 'honestly and truthfully' during nine hours of questions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A source, quoted by The Mail on Sunday, said: 'She was asked about a list of people including Prince Andrew' Credit: Getty 3 Andrew with Virginia Roberts, 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell at her London townhouse Credit: AFP US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche asked her about more than 100 people linked to her paedophile ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. Brit socialite Maxwell, 63, is serving 20 years in Florida after being convicted of offences including sex trafficking. The meeting came after President Donald Trump faced questions over his own links to Epstein, who killed himself in jail awaiting trial in 2019. A source, quoted by The Mail on Sunday, said: 'Ghislaine has never told her story to anyone in government before. 'At times it was very emotional but she answered every question asked of her. 'She was asked about a list of people including Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and powerful Wall Street financiers. 'It's ironic that Elon Musk kicked this whole thing off when he fell out with Trump and then made that post on X about Trump allegedly preventing the release of the full Epstein documents as some sort of 'cover-up'. 'Well, Elon is in there, as is his brother. "It was a monumental moment for Ghislaine to finally be asked about these people and to tell the truth.' Jeffrey Epstein's brother insists he was 'most likely murdered' amid mystery around 'missing minute' of 'suicide' video
