Two women die at Cornish beaches hours apart

One woman was declared dead at Portreath beach in Cornwall on Sunday

Two women have died hours apart at Cornish beaches in separate incidents, police have said.

One woman, believed to be in her 50s, was pulled from the sea on Sunday at Portreath beach near St Ives, suspected to have suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics were unable to revive her.

The second woman was thought to have gone swimming at Porthcothan beach near Padstow when she got into trouble. Her body was found face down in the water.

Devon and Cornwall Police said neither woman had been formally identified.

The force said it had been alerted to the first incident at about 12:35 BST on Sunday following a report from the South Western Ambulance Service.

RNLI lifeguards were already on scene.

The body of the second woman was recovered from the water at about 16:21, police said.

Officers said many people had flocked to the beaches in sunny weather.