RNLI tells people to consider their health, cold water effects and weather conditions after disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas Day
People planning on welcoming the new year by braving the British weather for a swim in the sea have been warned of the dangers after the disappearance of two swimmers on Christmas Day.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said the effects of cold-water shock combined with weather conditions pose a risk to anyone entering water that is 15C or below. At this time of year, the average sea temperature around the UK and Ireland is 6C to 10C.
The warning follows the disappearance of Matthew Upham, 63, and another man during a Christmas Day swim in the Devon seaside town of Budleigh Salterton.
A number of people were safely brought to shore, but Upham and the other man, in his 40s, could not be found. Of the people rescued, two were looked over by paramedics and one was taken to hospital as a precaution.
