Coastguard rescue Littlehampton swimmer from foggy sea

The 29-year-old man had gone for a swim east of Littlehampton harbour’s entrance yesterday afternoon (Monday, April 13).

His brother, who was onshore at the time, lost sight of the man and called emergency services for help.

Littlehampton Coastguard Rescue Team and Littlehampton lifeboat crews were sent out to look for the missing swimmer.

He was retrieved from the water by Littlehampton coastguards but did not require an ambulance.

National Maritime Operations Controller for the UK Coastguard, Ashley Rawson has since issued a warning to the public.

“A combination of the fog which can appear quickly this time of year and the tide can leave people in difficulty,” he said, “You can think that you’re swimming and making progress but the tide can be against you and with the fog you have no idea where you are and how far you’ve got.

“This is the third incident like this in about a week which can be attributed to the warmer spring weather that catches the public unawares as the sea temperatures are still low.”