The coastguard has called off the search for two men who went missing during a Christmas Day swim off Budleigh Salterton in Devon. Emergency services were alerted at 10.25am after concerns were raised for people in the water. A number of swimmers were safely brought to shore, but two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, could not be found.
The family of one of the missing men, Matthew Upham, paid tribute to him via his antiques business’s Instagram account. They said he was “deeply loved and forever missed” and expressed gratitude to the emergency services, including the RNLI and coastguard, for their efforts.
Upham, from Budleigh Salterton, ran Matthew Upham Antiques in the town. On Boxing Day, police confirmed both men remained missing, with inquiries ongoing and a police presence at the scene. The coastguard stood down its water search at 5pm on Christmas Day but said onshore searches continued.
Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar of Devon and Cornwall Police described the incident as “truly tragic” and urged the public not to enter the sea on Boxing Day despite no formal weather warnings. Some official and unofficial swims had already been cancelled due to earlier warnings.
A local resident, Julia Robb, said the day had been “very cold and windy” with waves of at least 6ft. She expressed shock for the community, saying it was “a sad thing to happen on what had been such a positive morning”.
