Police in Devon have discouraged people from taking Boxing Day swims after an annual Christmas Day dip saw several people get into difficulty in the sea.
Two men in their forties and sixties were swept out to sea at Budleigh Salterton on Thursday, and they have yet to be found despite extensive searches of the area.
A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall were cancelled this year due to a yellow weather warning for wind issued by the Met Office, which covered parts of the South West and Wales.
No weather warnings have been issued for Boxing Day or the coming days, but officers have urged people to stay away from the sea.
Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “While there are no official warnings in place, we urge anyone with plans to go swimming in the sea on Boxing Day not to.”
Describing the events in Budleigh Salterton as “a truly tragic incident”, she added: “Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident.”
Local resident Julia Robb, who had been watching swimmers at the beach before the men went missing, said: “It is just awful.”
She said it had been a “very cold and windy” day where the “waves were big, breaking over people”.
She said the waves “would have been at least 6ft, I would have thought”, and it was only when she later heard helicopters that it became clear something was wrong.
Ms Robb added: “It was a sad thing to happen on what had been such a positive morning. I just feel sorry for those who have been affected.
“I think it will be shocking for the whole community. We are a small town. People are very friendly. I think it is important to think of the friends and families of those who have been affected.”
Ahead of Christmas Day, the Met Office warned of “strong and gusty east to north-easterly winds” from 4am until 11.59pm on Thursday in parts of south-west England and Wales.
It said peak gusts would reach 45 to 55mph, but these could reach 55 to 65mph along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills.
It said: “Large waves will be an additional hazard on some coasts.”
Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton at 10.25am on Christmas Day after concerns were raised about people in the water.
HM Coastguard said it had responded to reports of “people in difficulty”, and rescue teams from Exmouth and Beer were sent, along with RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth, and Torbay.
Coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with police and ambulance personnel, were also sent to the scene.
RNLI lifeboat crews helped recover one person from the water. Several people were safely recovered to shore and checked by paramedics or taken to the hospital as a precaution.
On Thursday evening, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that coastguard and RNLI searches had now concluded in the area.
An RNLI spokesperson said: “All lifeboat crew were stood down by the coastguard around 5pm, when they returned to stations.
“Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the incident and the family and friends of the two people who are missing.”
The two men were not located during the extensive searches and remain missing. Their families have been informed of developments, police confirmed.
