'Educate children about tombstoning' - coastguard

There are two tides every day underneath Southend Pier

The coastguard in Southend has called on parents to educate youngsters about the dangers of jumping off structures into the sea, known as 'tombstoning'.

Last Sunday saw “a large number of young people” jumping off Barge Pier, Shoeburyness, into the water, according to the coastguard.

“We’re not looking to be ‘the fun police’,” said Alan Manson, coastguard rescue officer at Southend Coastguard.

“Think before you leap,” he added.

'Don't be a statistic’

In a post on its Facebook page , HM Coastguard Southend said that recent good weather had seen an increase in youngsters “who think it is ‘cool’ to jump into the water”.

It said that coastguard officers “gave some strong safety advice” to those jumping in.

“The message to all parents is, please help us educate your loved ones to the hidden dangers of tombstoning in our local area,” the social media post said.

“There is a reason it's called ’tombstoning’ - don’t let them be one of the statistics!”

HM Coastguard Southend want people to enjoy the Essex coastline safely

The Southend area has various structures on its coastline, including Southend Pier which is the longest pleasure pier in the world.

But the coastguard warns that lying under the waves are hidden beams and structures.

“If you jump into the unknown, you could get tangled up,” Mr Manson told the BBC.

There are two tides every day in Southend, with the outgoing tide being particularly treacherous.

Mr Manson said that just because you may have jumped into the water safely once, the depth can change very quickly.

“With an ebb-flow outgoing tide, that water could have dropped a couple of feet,” he said, adding this “could cause injuries, spinal injuries or death”.

“It is so difficult to see the depth of the water.”

“We do want people to enjoy the great coastline that we have, but we want people to return safely back to their families at the end of the day.”