Fourth death just hours after water safety warning

The scene of the latest tragedy on the River Bure in Great Yarmouth

A fourth man has died in the water in Norfolk in the space of four days – and just hours after a safety charity urged people to take extra care.

The latest tragedy happened at 21:10 BST on Tuesday when a man died after falling into the water while trying to get on to a rented boat in Great Yarmouth.

It followed the recent deaths of three other men in separate incidents across the county.

On Tuesday, before news of the fourth death emerged, Brendon Prince, founder of Above Water, described what had happened as "tragic" and "catastrophic".

Brendon Prince founded the Above Water charity after three people drowned in Cornwall, where he worked as a lifeguard

In the latest incident, Norfolk Police said it was alerted to reports that a man in his 50s had fallen into the River Bure, near North River Road.

"He was recovered from the water but, despite efforts by emergency services, was pronounced dead a short time later," said a force spokesperson.

The first of the recent tragedies happened when a man in his 70s died at Brancaster beach on Saturday after he was seen getting into difficulty in the sea.

A day later, a body was recovered from Wroxham Broad after a man in his 20s was seen entering the water from a boat at about 23:30 BST on Friday.

On Tuesday, a body was found in the River Wensum near Costessey, on the outskirts of Norwich, after police were called in the early hours to reports a man had gone for a swim but had not resurfaced.

A man's body was recovered from the River Wensum near Norwich on Tuesday

A man in his 70s died at Brancaster beach on Saturday

Mr Prince added: "There seems to be more drownings this summer holiday than last," he said.

"We've got to do something about it before the Covid generation, who missed out on swimming lessons at school, reach adulthood."

A report published last year by the Royal Life Saving Society UK showed there were 151 accidental drownings in England in 2022, of which 83% were males.

It also found evidence of a spike in drownings during extreme or prolonged hot weather.

The report made a series of recommendations, including how to "better deliver school swimming" and targeted water safety messaging at drowning hotspots.

Wroxham Broad was closed to all craft at the weekend after a man went missing on Friday night