Iain Hughes: Search for charity Channel swimmer called off

Iain Hughes had been attempting a solo swim of the English Channel

The search for a "highly respected and much loved" firefighter who went missing while on a charity swim across the English Channel has been called off.

Iain Hughes, from Dudley, started the solo swim with a support boat on Tuesday from Dover before disappearing.

Mr Hughes, 42, remains missing despite a search involving military helicopters and navy and police boats.

His disappearance was "unspeakably sad", West Midlands Fire Service said.

Based at Wednesbury fire station, Mr Hughes had posted on social media two weeks ago that the swim had been delayed because of bad weather.

'Heartbroken'

In a statement, the fire service said: "We are heartbroken to confirm that one of our crew managers, Iain Hughes, is missing after his inspiring attempt to swim the English Channel for charity."

French authorities have confirmed the search has now ended, it said, adding: "In spite of search efforts involving French and Belgian military helicopters, plus navy and police patrol boats, Iain's whereabouts remain unknown."

Mr Hughes was also a volunteer at the Stourbridge Rugby club, which said it was "devastated" by the news.

"We know Iain has trained long and hard for this challenge with pure dedication and determination," a statement from the club read.

"His fitness is at a level some of us could only dream about, which makes this tragic news even harder to comprehend."

The club described him as "a man who has devoted his life to helping others,"and that he was "kind, sincere, inspirational and a 'top man'".

"We all feel numb and helpless at this tragic news," it added.

Kent Police said it received a report that a cross-Channel swimmer was missing in French waters at about 14:15 BST on Tuesday.

It added that although the French search had concluded, inquiries were ongoing to locate Mr Hughes and that it was working with partner agencies such as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to establish what had happened.

Mr Hughes started training and fundraising for the swim two years ago

Mr Hughes, a married father-of-two who has been with the fire service since the age of 19, currently works in its technical rescue unit.

Chief Fire Officer Wayne Brown described Mr Hughes as a "highly-respected and much-loved colleague and friend to many".

"We are giving Iain's family all the support we can at this distressing time," he said.

The Channel crossing is 21 miles (34km) and can take swimmers anywhere between seven and 27 hours to complete.

Mr Hughes has been aiming to raise £21,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Midlands Air Ambulance and Fire Fighters Charity.

Since it was confirmed Mr Hughes was missing, donations to his online fundraiser have soared and exceeded his target.

In a fresh statement on Thursday, the fire service said it would honour Mr Hughes by holding events at the weekend to raise money for the charities close to his heart.

"It's terribly, terribly sad that this has happened during an event that Iain was so keen to do," Dr Jill Tolfrey from the Fire Fighters Charity told the BBC.

"It's really sad that he was nearly there, he nearly got to France, and then whatever happened, happened."

Mr Hughes aimed to raise £21,000, representing £1,000 per mile

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF's chief executive, said the charity was "shocked and saddened" to hear Mr Hughes had gone missing.

"Our thoughts are with Iain's family, friends and colleagues at the West Midlands Fire Service at this difficult time," she said.

Hannah Sebright, from Midlands Air Ambulance, added that Mr Hughes' family, friends and colleagues were in their thoughts.

The Gris-Nez operational surveillance and rescue centre (CROSS) was informed a swimmer had disappeared on Tuesday, off the Cap Gris-Nez.

The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CS&PF), which monitors swimmers in the channel, announced with "deep regret" Mr Hughes could not be found after a sea search.

The Channel Swimming Association said the swimmer was not involved with the organisation and it was therefore unable to comment, but said its "thoughts and prayers" were with the swimmer and his family.