Beach horror: Swimmer feared dead and 2 critical
A MAN is feared drowned after a group of swimmers got into difficulty at a beach yesterday.
Two other men were in a critical condition last night after they were airlifted to hospital but a sea search was continuing for a third swimmer, with lifeboats and coastguard helicopters scouring the coast.
The alarm was raised at Camber Sands, on the East Sussex coast, at 12.30pm after the group had headed into the water.
There were unconfirmed reports the swimmers had been attacked by jellyfish.
Elizabeth Howarth, who was on the beach when the incident unfolded, tweeted: “We were on the beach just before it happened. Kids in the sea, no red flags. Hard to believe.”
She said she saw one man being resuscitated on the beach, and added: “They were working on him for so long. It looked bad.”
Rescue teams were searching last night for a kayaker who fell into water at Jaywick, near Clacton-onSea.
And a sunbather is lucky to be alive after being run over by a rubbish truck in a park yesterday.
The man managed to escape with just a fractured cheekbone after a council pick-up truck drove over his head as he lay on a towel in London Fields, east London.
An eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: “If the vehicle went over his leg it would have snapped it in two.
“I’m surprised he didn’t receive worse injuries. I would have thought the pressure alone of that kind of vehicle would have cracked his skull open.
Wheels
“I was shocked but I was more concerned about the safety of the man at the time of the incident. Thankfully, the last set of wheels didn’t go over his head.”
After the hottest weekend of the year so far, forecasters have predicted sunshine and showers for the rest of the week.
Thousands flocked to the coast on Saturday for the start of the school holidays, as temperatures reached 86F (30C).
About 14 million cars hit the UK’s roads with long queues in stifling heat spelling misery for those getting away.
Britons will enjoy warm sunshine and blue skies at the start of this week, but there will be showers in the run-up to the weekend, forecasters have said.
The North will be cooler, with more of a chance of rain today, while southern Britain will enjoy the better temperatures.
The Met Office predicts highs of about 73F (23C) in the South as thermometers hover around the 68F (20C) mark elsewhere in the country.
Forecaster Luke Mial said: “This week will start off quite well with sunshine and some showers and the heaviest of the rain in the North, while the South stays mainly dry and sunny.
“It is a similar picture for Tuesday, with the best of the weather again in the South and temperatures fairly typical for the time of year. It will be much fresher than last week.”