Man drowns during family holiday

The waves were said to be high and red warning flags were flying

A man has died and another person, believed to be his son, has been airlifted to hospital after they got into trouble swimming in the sea.

The incident happened off Teignmouth, Devon, involving a family believed to be from the Cardiff area.

Coastguard crews attempted to resuscitate the man after pulling him from the sea, but he died.

The survivor, whose condition is unknown, was flown to Torbay District Hospital.

The waves were really, really high Lucy Cooper, eyewitness

A Devon and Cornwall police spokesman said: "We understand the incident involved a father and son."

Eyewitnesses reported a massive search operation to locate and rescue the pair from the sea.

Lucy Cooper, who was on the beach at the time, said: "I saw a huge helicopter, lifeboats, policemen, lifeguards. The waves were really, really high."

Red flags warning people not to go in the sea had been flying on Teignmouth beach all day.

The death comes amid warnings from RNLI lifeguards to pay close attention to the beach flag warning system, particularly in neighbouring Cornwall where big surf and low spring tides are currently forecast.