Christmas Day swimmers missing in sea in Devon after people ‘seen getting into difficulty’
Two Christmas Day swimmers are believed to be missing in the sea off the Devon coast after concerns for a number of people in the water.
The two men are thought to be missing off the beach at Budleigh Salterton, Devon & Cornwall Police said.
Officers have warned locals to stay out of the water at Budleigh and Exmouth beaches as Coastguard and RNLI crews continue their search efforts.
Hundreds of swimmers had been seen gathering at the coast for the unofficial Christmas Day dip.
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The alarm was raised at 10.25am today following worries about people in the water.
A number of people were safely recovered to the shore and were taken to paramedics to be checked.
RNLI rescue teams were seen riding the waves at the beach as they helped scour the water.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police added: ‘The next of kin of one man have been spoken to. Enquiries to speak to the family of the second man are ongoing, however a local friend has been informed as part of these efforts.
‘A significant amount of emergency service personnel were deployed to the incident and we ask that people do not enter the water for public safety reasons – due to the current weather warnings we ask that this is the case today and for any Boxing Day swims.’
The UK Coastguard confirmed earlier that search teams were helping to search the seas.
It said: ‘HM Coastguard said it was alerted at around 10am.
‘Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth and Torbay and coastguard search and rescue helicopters have been sent to the scene to assist, alongside police and ambulance service.’
A weather warning is in place in Devon today for ‘strong and gust east to northeasterly winds’.
The warning states it’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.
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