Holidaymaker dies trying to walk to shipwreck with granddaughter at UK beach

Raymond Mills, 74, had walked to the shipwreck of the SS Vina astatine Brancaster formation successful Norfolk with his granddaughter - but got into difficulties aft being caught successful the tide

A holidaymaker died aft getting caught retired by the tide erstwhile helium walked to research a shipwreck with his grandchild, an inquest has heard.

Raymond Mills, 74, was connected a time retired astatine Brancaster beach successful Norfolk and had cautiously planned his travel retired to the SS Vina. He got into difficulties successful the beardown currents adjacent the vas - a notorious country known arsenic Wreck Sands - and disappeared beneath the water.

His granddaughter was capable to get backmost to information and a hunt cognition was launched. Mr Mills, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, was recovered successful the h2o by a chopper astir an hr later. He was flown to Norwich Airport to beryllium transferred to an ambulance but was pronounced dormant soon aft the craft landed.

At an inquest into his death, held this week astatine Norfolk Coroner's Court, Mr Mills' household said determination should beryllium further information measures astatine the beach, which is owned by the National Trust. They called for the wreck to beryllium removed and much informing signs to beryllium enactment successful spot highlighting the dangers.

The proceeding was told however the safety-conscious Mr Mills had meticulously researched his expedition to the SS Vina. The vessel sank successful 1944 portion being utilized arsenic people signifier for the RAF and lies astir 800 metres disconnected the main beach, exposed astatine debased water.

The retired technologist and his woman Jacqueline were connected the archetypal time of their vacation successful Norfolk with their 3 grandchildren. The radical were staying astatine Hunstanton but travelled to Brancaster for the day, connected August 17, 2024. Mrs Mills, a retired teaching assistant, told the inquest: “Ray was greatly looking guardant to taking our 3 grandchildren distant to Norfolk.

“He had promised they would effort and spot the shipwreck connected Brancaster beach. He researched the tide times, alert that the wreck was lone disposable for abbreviated times. Ray was ace cautious astir immoderate undertaking, ever uncovering a solution to immoderate occupation and would ne'er knowingly enactment himself oregon anyone other successful danger.”

Jordan Grebby, from HM Coastguard, told the inquest successful a study that the archetypal 999 telephone reporting a antheral had gone nether h2o was received astatine astir 1.30pm. The archetypal 999 telephone had travel from a bystander who had not really witnessed the incidental but said Mr Mills had past been seen other the wreck.

At astir 2pm, a further 999 telephone was received from different subordinate of the nationalist who was with a young kid – believed to beryllium Mr Mills’ granddaughter. Minutes later, Mrs Mills made interaction with 999 and she was capable to corroborate that her hubby had gone to look astatine the wreck with the child, earlier the kid had returned to the enactment “in a panic”.

Mrs Mills went connected to accidental that portion helium could swim, helium was “not a precise bully swimmer and was not overly acquainted with the Brancaster area”. At astir 2.30pm, the coastguard’s chopper located Mr Mills and recovered him from the water. Life-saving attempts were started onboard and helium was flown to Norwich Airport.

A captious attraction squad from the East Anglian Air Ambulance was waiting there, but Mr Mills was pronounced dead. Mrs Mills told the court: "Ray was my rock. We'd been unneurotic for 53 years and joined astir 49 of those. He retired successful January 2018, and we’d hoped to person galore much blessed years together. He was an technologist and his applicable skills knew nary bounds.

“The precocious constituent of immoderate time was getting a sojourn from the grandchildren, who helium perfectly adored. His heath was mostly good, with immoderate of the accustomed problems associated with getting older. He would ne'er fto immoderate difficulties halt him doing what helium wanted to do."

Samantha Goward, the country coroner, work from a station mortem study carried retired by advisor histopathologist Dr Xenia Tyler which said that Mr Mills had a bosom information which whitethorn person contributed to the tragedy. Mrs Goward explained however Dr Tyler had recovered that Mr Mills was suffering from a information called atherosclerosis, a gradual build-up of plaque successful the walls of arteries, successful his main coronary artery.

The study said: “Although this causes narrowing of the [arteries], it is not capable to beryllium considered severe. Exposure to acold h2o nevertheless whitethorn good person caused a spasm of this artery, producing further narrowing... successful crook causing a fatal cardiac dysrhythmia.

“It is not imaginable to find the nonstop clip of decease successful narration to the disappearance of the deceased beneath the aboveground of the water. It is truthful imaginable that drowning besides played a portion successful causing death.”

Describing Mr Mills arsenic “a cautious man who wouldn’t instrumentality risks”, Mrs Goward said: “It does look to me, connected the equilibrium of probabilities, that the acold h2o caused immoderate benignant of contented with Ray’s heart. That, combined with going nether the water, led to an constituent of drowning being a contributing factor.”

She concluded that helium died owed to an “accident caused by underlying earthy causes”. Mr Mill's woman has called for the removal of the SS Vina. She said: “It is abundantly wide to maine that the precise existent dangers of the wreck country are not intelligibly signed. Much much needs to beryllium done informing the nationalist of this. Maybe vacation resorts should marque visitors alert conscionable however fatal the wreck country tin be.

“I deliberation the wreck should beryllium wholly removed, taking distant everlastingly this incredibly unsafe attraction, thereby ensuring nary different household has to unrecorded with the aforesaid calamity our household has endured.” The National Trust provided the coroner with photographs of informing signs successful spot connected the beach.

However, the household assertion they lone saw 1 connected the time of the tragedy, which told them not to provender the birds. Mrs Mills said that the signage astatine the determination was “not capable for warnings”. Her daughter-in-law, Caroline Mills - who's girl accompanied Mr Mills retired to the wreck - told the inquest: “He was a precise cautious idiosyncratic who would ne'er person taken immoderate risks, and - from what helium was saying to my girl - helium was panicking that possibly helium had got into a concern that was beyond his ability.

“So I deliberation he’d person been looking retired for things similar signs and warnings. And if determination had been a beingness buoy connected the boat, helium whitethorn person considered [using] it." Mrs Goward said she would beryllium penning to the National Trust for clarification and whitethorn contented a Prevention of Future Deaths report.

Previously, the National Trust said: “We’re mindful that Brancaster Beach does not person a lifeguard beingness and is simply a formation that experiences a fast-flowing tidal range, with imaginable hazards successful the h2o specified arsenic the SS Vina shipwreck and wartime relics.”