Holidaymaker ‘swept away by tide as he walked to shipwreck’ with granddaughter on UK beach as family pay tribute

A MAN has died after being swept away by the tide as he went to explore a shipwreck on a UK beach with his granddaughter.

Raymond Mills, 74, tragically lost his life on Brancaster beach, in Norfolk, on August 17 last year. 

An inquest at Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard the beloved grandfather had been caught out by the tide while walking to the SS Vina.

The wreck, a “well-known local tourist attraction” sits abandoned about 800 metres off the main beach and is exposed at low water.

Mr Mills had planned the trip but was trapped in strong currents close to the ship, as reported by the EasternDailyPress.

The inquest heard he disappeared under the water when he entered an area known as Wreck Sands, infamous for strong tides.

His granddaughter managed to get back to the shore safely and a search mission was launched at around 1.30pm.

Mr Mills was found in the water by a helicopter at around 2.30pm and rushed to Norwich Airport, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

His heartbroken wife Jacqueline paid an emotional tribute and said: “Ray was my rock. We’d been together for 53 years and married almost 49 of those.

“He retired in January 2018, and we’d hoped to have many more happy years together.

“He was an engineer and his practical skills knew no bounds.”

She told how his three grandchildren were the light of his life, and he was “absolutely adored” as a granddad.

The widow also told the inquest Ray was “super careful” and would never have put himself, or anyone else, in danger knowingly.

She added how her late husband was “not a very good swimmer and was not overly familiar with the Brancaster area”.

Mrs Mills also shared her gratitude for the coastguard search and rescue team, as well as those who supported their grandchildren on the beach.

Samantha Goward, the area coroner, told the inquest a post mortem revealed Mr Mills had a heart condition which may have contributed to his death.

Mr Mills had unknowingly been suffering from atherosclerosis, a gradual build-up of plaque in the walls of arteries, in his main coronary artery.

The report said: “Although this causes narrowing of the [arteries], it is not sufficient to be considered severe.

“Exposure to cold water however may well have caused a spasm of this artery, producing further narrowing… in turn causing a fatal cardiac dysrhythmia.”

The post mortem added: “It is possible that drowning also played a part in causing death.”

Mrs Goward concluded Mr Mills died due to an “accident caused by underlying natural causes”.

‘INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS ATTRACTION’

During the inquest, Mrs Mills warned of the “very real dangers” surrounding the wreck.

She said: “Much more needs to be done warning the public of this.

“Maybe holiday resorts should make visitors aware just how fatal the wreck area can be.”

The widow called for the wreck, which she branded an “incredibly dangerous attraction” to be removed completely to avoid further tragedies.

The National Trust submitted pictures of warning signs at the beach to the coroner.

But Mrs Mills said the signage at the location was “not sufficient for warnings”.

Her daughter-in-law, Caroline Mills, who’s daughter was with her grandfather when he ventured to the wreck, told the inquest she believed he had been panicking.

“So I think he’d have been looking out for things like signs and warnings,” she said.

“And if there had been a life buoy on the boat, he may have considered [using] it.”

Caroline claimed there was also “confusion” over tide times, which she alleged could have been due to signs at the beach.

The area coroner said she would ask the National Trust for more information about the signage.

“If, after I hear back from them, I am still concerned and my obligation is triggered, I can issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report,” she said.

Officials previously ruled out designating Brancaster a bathing beach after the National Trust raised safety concerns.

These included a lack of lifeguards on the beach and strong tides, as well as the SS Vina.

The RNLI have rescued several people trying to visit the wreck before after they were caught out on Wreck Sands.

A spokesperson for the National Trust previously said: “We’re mindful that Brancaster Beach does not have a lifeguard presence and is a beach that experiences a fast-flowing tidal range, with potential hazards in the water such as the SS Vina shipwreck and wartime relics.”