Lightning-strike paddleboarder was on beach, says dad

Scott Seddon, 26, was described as "flamboyant" and "a beautiful blonde boy" by his family

A paddleboarder who died after apparently being struck by lightning in Greece was not in the water at the time and died in a "freak accident", his father has said.

Scott Seddon, whose family live in Liverpool and have a holiday home in Rhodes, died on Tuesday.

His father Stephen Seddon, 68, said his son had returned to the beach when he was hit by the strike.

Local reports said the 26-year-old had been out at sea at the time.

But Mr Seddon said: "He wasn't some silly tourist who gets on a board to go somewhere dangerous.

"He knows the water and respects the water."

The family said the beach was calm, not stormy, and insisted Mr Seddon had not been out at sea during what were unsettled conditions earlier.

He was even filmed coming back on to the beach minutes before he died, they said.

Mr Seddon's family said he was not at out at sea when he was struck by lightning

"The storm had gone, the danger was finished," Mr Seddon's mother Jackie, 56, said.

"It was just a freak accident. He wasn't on the board and it was not anywhere near him.

"My son went out having the time of his life, and God just decided to take him.

"Scott was fearless. He was one of a kind, he was flamboyant. A beautiful blonde boy."

Mr Seddon added: 'We are devastated. We will never get over losing him.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family and was in contact with local authorities.