Tributes to angler swept to death

Angler Keith Ellerby, 64, who was food safety and quality manager at York Hospital, was swept off a breakwater by a heavy wave at the mouth of the River Tees in Redcar on Monday. Rescuers, including RAF helicopter and RNLI lifeboat crews battled against perilous conditions to pull Mr Ellerby from the water.

Patrick Crowley, chief executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We were shocked to hear the news of Keith’s death. Keith was approaching 50 years’ service in the NHS and his colleagues were looking forward to celebrating this landmark with him. My sympathy is of course with his family, and with his colleagues and friends at the hospital, who will miss him terribly.”

A 63-year-old man was also swept out to sea, but he managed to battle his way back to shore. He was treated for hypothermia at James Cook Hospital and was later discharged.