Man dies after being rescued from sea in Essex
A man has died after getting into distress at sea off Frinton, Essex Police said.
Police said they were called shortly before 2.10pm on Thursday, July 30, following reports that a man had become embattled at sea off the Esplanade and had been brought ashore.
It was determined that the man died at the scene.
Police said the man’s family had been informed and were being supported by officers.
The public was asked to stay away from the area.
The news comes as the UK endures its fourth summer heatwave, with temperatures reaching over 35°C; England is on track this year for the highest number of deaths caused by such hot weather since available figures began, health officials have warned.
Despite a very wet winter, half of England is officially facing drought. An extremely dry July caused a dry spring and successive heat waves put pressure on water resources.
It was confirmed earlier on Thursday that the UK was heading towards the highest number of deaths from heatwaves this year since available figures began.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said 2026 “is likely to be the year of record heat-related deaths”, which will exceed the figure in 2022 when the agency began its research.
An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the heat wave between 24 and 27 May; A further 2,124 deaths were linked to the heatwave between 21 and 28 June.
The total of 2,877 deaths is almost double the 1,504 deaths due to heatwaves from June to August last year.
Although the new report does not break down deaths by age, a UKHSA report on 2025 figures found that people aged 85 and over had the highest number of heat-related deaths, with significant deaths among those aged 75 to 84.
“Although these (2026) figures remain provisional, they are already approaching the annual record reported by the UKHSA in 2022,” the report said.
Some 2,985 heat-related deaths were observed across five heatwaves in 2022, with 40.3°C reached at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 19 July, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK.
Both May and June this year saw the Met Office’s monthly UK temperature records broken; 31.5C was recorded at Kew Gardens on 26 May and 38.0C was recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk, on 26 June.
