Angler is swept to death in storm rescue bid

The 64-year-old angler was swept off a breakwater by a heavy wave at the mouth of the River Tees in Redcar on Monday.

A member of public raised the alarm at about 3.45pm and a police helicopter and RNLI lifeboat raced to the scene braving 10ft waves.

Dave Cocks, of Redcar RNLI, said: “The crew managed to pull him into the boat and to carry out CPR in perilous conditions.

“The RAF Sea King from Leconfield was dispatched and the man was winched into the helicopter and he was flown to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.”

Mr Cocks said the breakwater was a popular fishing spot, however lives had been claimed in similar circumstances in the past.

A 63-year-old man was also swept out to sea, but he managed to battle his way back to shore.

The start of the week has seen rain and high winds sweep across the country, sparking flood warnings along parts of the Yorkshire coast, which are expected to stay in place for the next few days.

The Met Office said Yorkshire could expect a respite from the extreme weather today, with sunshine forecast for most of the region.

In Ireland, rescue workers searching for Garda Ciaran Jones, 25, who was swept away by floods in the Wicklow mountains said they had recovered a body from the River Liffey. Mr Jones, who was stationed at Stepaside, south Dublin, was swept away as he tried to help a motorist at Ballysmuttan bridge, along with his brother and a friend.

The off-duty officer, from Manor Kilbride, was attempting to keep people safe from dangerous floods when he disappeared. There had been fears the bridge was in danger of collapsing as people tried to cross in an area that saw 3.5in of rainfall in 36 hours.

The body of a woman was also found in a flooded basement in Dublin, Gardai said.