Second body found by rescuers

Rescue teams search for the missing boy

A second body has been found by rescuers looking for a father and his nine-year-old son, who went missing from a beach in Cumbria.

The man was named by police as Stewart Rushton, 51, and his son as Adam, both of Cemetery Hill, Dalton, Cumbria.

Rescuers said that a second body, of a young boy, was found on Sunday afternoon after confirming that the body of a man found earlier was that of Mr Rushton.

He and his son disappeared after parking at Priory Point near Ulverston at 1420 GMT on Saturday and going for a walk on the sands.

Adam Rushton was sitting on his father's shoulders

Mr Rushton used his mobile phone to call the emergency services for help after becoming disorientated in thick fog.

Police said they could hear Mr Rushton shouting but could not tell which direction the calls were coming from as the fast incoming tide made rescue attempts hazardous.

Mr Rushton is believed to have told officers he could hear their police sirens but did not want to move from the sandbank because he could not be sure where the sound was coming from.

Paul Parkes, from the Liverpool Coastguard, said the first body had been found on a beach near Bardsea after the tide receded.

Three search and rescue teams had been involved in the effort to find the boy, but poor weather conditions had restricted use of a helicopter from RAF Valley.

Mr Parkes said that a number of people, thought to be relatives who had unofficially joined the search teams, had been airlifted off the sands because of the incoming fog.

Police could hear Stewart Rushton calling for help

He said everyone was "saddened" by the discovery of the bodies.

A Liverpool Coastguard spokesman said he was the last person to speak to the 51-year-old on Saturday afternoon when Mr Rushton called the emergency services on his mobile phone.

The spokesman said Mr Rushton told him he was up to his neck in water.

"The man was obviously cold and very worried," the spokesman said.

"From what I could gather his son was sitting on his shoulders. It was a bit disconcerting.

"Police tried to phone his mobile phone later on but failed to get through."

Coastguard officials said the tape recorded conversations between Mr Rushton and helpline staff would not be released because they were too "distressing".