A father has described the moment he saved a boy from drowning after his mother screamed for help – insisting he just did ‘what any man in my position would do’.
Two men died on Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool, County Durham, yesterday afternoon as they also attempted to rescue the ‘little lad’ from the water.
Davey Short, 48, said the boy was aged around 12 or 13 and had been playing in the waves when he got swept out to sea.
His brother, who was around 15 years old, attempted to help him but also got into trouble in the water.
Two men tried to save the boys – but tragically died before they could do so.
Mr Short, a painter and decorator who lives in the Seaton Carew area, said: ‘I was sat on the sand dunes, and I saw a lad swimming in the sea. He was next to a man with his head in the water, and initially I thought he was snorkelling.
‘A woman was hysterical on the beach. I asked her what the matter was and she said, “Will you save my son?” I can’t swim.
‘Instinct took over, I ran straight in, and swam out as far as I could. I was telling the lad to try and swim towards me.
Davey Short, 48, said the boy was aged around 12 or 13 and had been playing in the waves when he got swept out to sea
Police attend the scene at Seaton Crew Beach in Hartlepool, County Durham, after the two men drowned
‘He managed to get to me, but I was struggling to get back out with him.’
Mr Short said another man came over to give him a hand and together they managed to get the boy out.
He claimed it had taken emergency services around 40 minutes to attend the scene – leaving him no choice but to risk his life to rescue the child.
Mr Short added: ‘The little boy was fine, but it was too late for the other two men who had tried to help before me.
‘I couldn’t get further out to get to them. It was scary, the waves were hitting me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get to them.
‘I am a dad myself. I didn’t even think about the danger to myself. I just wanted to get that little lad out.
‘I couldn’t not go in. There were people screaming at me not to go into the water, but I said, “I am not leaving that bairn”.
‘I know I had put my own life at risk, but I had no choice.’
Mr Short claimed it had taken emergency services around 40 minutes to attend the scene – leaving him no choice but to risk his life to rescue the child
Meanwhile the boy’s older brother was rescued by a different man.
Mr Short said: ‘Everybody has thanked me. The mother was hysterical, but she has thanked me so much and has been messaging me.
‘I am not a hero, I just did what any man in my position would do.
‘I just went in. I didn’t even think about it.’
Yesterday Superintendent Glen Ward of Cleveland Police said: ‘Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today.
‘Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea.
‘We are conducting enquiries into the circumstances of what happened today, although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.
‘I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks. We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result.
‘Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.’
The RNLI has been contacted for comment.
On Friday, the bodies of two teenagers were recovered in Derby and Greater Manchester following separate water-related incidents.
In Derby, an 18-year-old was retrieved from the water below the weir near the Darley Abbey Mills complex on Friday.
Emergency services had been called at 12.46pm after two young teenagers got into difficulty.
The younger teenager was rescued, but after hours of searches, the 18-year-old was found dead.
In Manchester, emergency services were called to Dovestone reservoir in Oldham at around 7pm on Friday.
They found an 18-year-old unresponsive in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts of medical professionals, the force added. A scene remains in place and inquiries are ongoing, police said.
The previous day a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Lincoln – weeks after another teenager drowned at the same site.
Lincolnshire Police were called to Swanholme Lakes on Thursday afternoon and the boy was taken to hospital but he died shortly before 9pm.
It followed 15-year-old Declan Sawyer dying after also getting into difficulty at the nature reserve on May 24.
Last month the family of a teenage boy who drowned at Clifton Country Park in Swinton, Greater Manchester, paid tribute to their much-loved son, brother, nephew and friend, Leon Pafu Ngoy.
They said in a statement: ‘Leon was our baby, our brother, our best friend and the heart of our family. He was kind, respectful, thoughtful and loved by everyone who knew him.’
Britain’s May and June heatwaves are thought to have claimed more than 2,700 lives, with almost half of these deaths said to be fuelled by the changing climate.
A study estimates that 550 people died during the exceptionally warm spell at the end of May, with a further 2,200 fatalities linked to the ten-day heatwave in June.
Dr Claire Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, argued: ‘Every time we have a heatwave, our news is filled with reporters at swimming pools, images of people eating ice cream and sunbathers on beaches.
‘We all love the sun, but people need to be aware that we are now seeing dangerous climate-change fuelled heat that is claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals and shutting down transport and infrastructure.
‘It’s time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers.’
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