Sea safety warning for Bank Holiday beach swimmers

Swimmers are "lambs to the slaughter" at a beach with a lack of warning signs about the strong current, according to a concerned resident.

Stephen Vince, 74, feared visitors to West Mersea over the Bank Holiday weekend would be unaware of the water's danger.

His comments followed a seven-year-old boy, his teenage cousin and her mother all drowning while on a day trip from east London in July.

Colchester City Council said a number of signs were installed after the tragedy and more were planned.

However, Vince criticised the authority for taking down a warning he made as a temporary placeholder.

"A tragedy can happen anytime because people see the colourful beach huts and they think it's safe," he said.

"They're lambs to the slaughter in the water and it's getting more and more popular here."

The deaths of mother and daugther Shelina, 41, and 15-year-old Sameeha Rahman on 22 July - and of Musa Ahmed six days later - made national headlines.

David Cole, 30, also died after he and his son were caught by a rip tide at the same beach in June 2023.

"I am so worried that a lot of people will flood here for the Bank Holiday and it will happen again," Vince said.

A risk assessment by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK in March concluded rescue equipment would be unlikely to be effectively deployed in an emergency.

However, a spokesman for the council said it acted to install "strong current" warning signs on groynes after the latest drownings.

"[The council] is continuing work on additional advisory signage at beach access points, alongside partner landowners, to develop consistent safety messaging across the waterfront," he said.

The spokesman said unauthorised signage on council land would be removed to avoid mixed-messaging.

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