Two heroic men die after plunging into North Sea to save struggling kids

Two men have died after going into the sea to try to help two children struggling in the open water.

Cleveland Police were scrambled to Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool at around 3.45pm on Sunday.

Two men entered the sea to assist the children, who were taken to hospital to be checked over and are now confirmed to be safe.

RNLI staff brought the men out of the water and they received immediate medical treatment, but were pronounced dead a short time later.

Superintendent Glen Ward said: ‘I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks.

‘We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result.

‘Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.’

It follows a number of water-related deaths in recent days amid the hot weather.

Derbyshire Constabulary announced that the body of an 18-year-old man had been recovered from the water near a weir at the Darley Abbey Mills complex after two teenagers got into difficulty.

Greater Manchester Police said an 18-year-old male died at Dovestone Reservoir, Oldham, on Friday.

The Met Office said the scorching conditions experienced by much of the UK are due to last into the coming week, with most areas expected to stay dry, sunny and very hot.

Forecasters said areas of England and Wales will continue to exceed 30C throughout the weekend and into next week as the country swelters in the third heatwave of the year.

Natural England warned that parts of the UK are at ‘exceptional’ risk of wildfires, with highlighted areas in southern England and the Midlands considered most at risk.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue has been called out to two moorland wildfires in recent days while London Fire Brigade dealt with a blaze involving shrubbery at Stratford Station on Friday evening, which caused rail line closures.

Hundreds of firefighters have battled one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires which has killed at least 12 people in Almeria province in the south of the country.

Four of the dead are believed to be British, according to regional authorities.

The Met Office said 2026 is the first year to record 35C on six separate days.

This broke the previous records set in 1976 and 2020 when five days were recorded with temperatures over 35C.