Becca Ringwood, whose childhood best friend Jordan Moon drowned 23 years ago at Seaton Carew beach, said she is "heartbroken" that safety measures have not been put in place after two men died rescuing children at the same spot on Sunday.
Wayne Taylor entered the water to try to rescue his children, joined by Ian Pascoe, 62, a heroic passer-by. While Mr Taylor's nine-year-old boy and his younger sister were saved, both men lost their lives. They were recovered from the water by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and pronounced dead shortly after.
Campaign for Lifeguards
Ms Ringwood has spent years campaigning for lifeguards to be in place at Seaton Carew beach all summer. Her petition for summer-long lifeguard cover has so far gained 3,000 signatures. The beach is only covered by lifeguards during the school summer holidays, which have yet to start.
"I just felt shocked and heartbroken that the incident happened again and it's like reliving everything," Ms Ringwood said. "It's awful because we have tried repeatedly and pushed to get lifeguards back on these beaches for longer than just the school summer holidays."
Family and Community Response
Ian Pascoe's son Dan Pascoe paid tribute to his father and Mr Taylor, expressing his "sincere condolences" to the Taylor family. He thanked passer-by Davey Short, who helped to pull one of the children from the water. "Why does it take brave heroes such as my dad to put themselves in mortal danger for an obvious and all too common occurrence?" he said.
Dan Pascoe said people needed to be made more aware of the dangers of the sea, but also called for "failsafes for where the awareness isn't enough", including barriers, safety flags to designate when water is unsafe, and lifeguards.
Official Review
Hartlepool Borough Council leader Graham Harrison said he has asked for "a full review of the current water safety arrangements at Seaton Carew". Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the tragedy.
National Water Safety Campaign
The Mirror launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign earlier this year after a series of tragic deaths during a heatwave. The campaign calls for compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety. It is backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations, and bereaved families.
