Search continues for missing swimmer following major incident

In an update at 6pm, the coastguard confirmed searches were ongoing for a man.

A full shoreline search has been conducted as well as sonar search of the area, in good conditions.

The coastguard rescue team from West Mersea and the RNLI lifeboat from Clacton remain on scene.

A major incident was declared by Essex Police after reports of six people in difficulty.

A police cordon was put in place as emergency services attended the scene, which has seen five people rescued and one person reported missing.

Police tape is covering all entrances to the pier and the sections of beach on either side have been cordoned off by police.

A spokeswoman for the Coastguard said: "HM Coastguard is currently responding to an incident at Clacton Pier following a report of multiple people in the water.

"Clacton Beach Patrol, the RNLI lifeboat from Clacton and coastguard rescue teams from Clacton, Walton and Holbrook have been sent to help, as well as the coastguard rescue helicopter from Lydd.

"Essex Police and Essex Ambulance service are also attending along with Essex Fire and Rescue Service.

"Five people have been rescued, with the search still ongoing for a sixth man."

An East of England Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "A large response, including four ambulances, our hazardous area response team and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, was sent to Clacton Beach this morning following reports of a number of people in difficulty in the water.

"Crews assessed four males and a female patient at the scene before transporting them by road to Colchester Hospital for further assessment and care."

The RNLI confirmed a lifeboat crew was called out to an incident at about 11.30am on Tuesday.

The coastguard helicopter was also circling the area for a while after the callout.

Nigel Brown, communications manager at Clacton Pier, said that members of staff threw life support rings to three people who had been swept under the pier.

He said: “Pier staff helped keep four afloat with the rings which they had on a rope, and they were obviously holding onto the rope at the other end with people on the ring at the bottom.

“My understanding is one person was missing.

“The group that were in the water were very worried about one person they couldn’t see and were saying ‘there’s one missing’.

“As far as I know that person’s still missing, they’ve had the helicopter up.

“There could have been a group of up to eight in the water originally.

“Can I make it clear nobody jumped off the pier.

“These people were on a beach to the east of the pier, went in swimming and the tide and the currents dragged them towards, under the pier.

“Pier staff threw lifebelt rings over the side of the pier to help some of the casualties and they had about four of them on those.

“Eight of them were in the water but my understanding is four or five got into difficulty.”

In a post on Facebook, Essex Police said: "We are on the scene assisting emergency services colleagues with a serious and ongoing incident close to Clacton Pier.

"There is a significant emergency services presence in the area while the incident is being dealt with.

"We will provide an update as soon as we practically can."

In August 2020 a man in his 60s died after being pulled from the water near to Clacton Pier.

Paramedics and an air ambulance attended the incident, but the man could not be saved.

In August 2019 two children and a teenage boy got into difficulty swimming near a groyne on the same beach before they had to be rescued. The teenager and one of the children died as a result.

An inquest found that siblings Malika Shamas, 14, and Haider Ali, 18, had died from drowning and pneumonia.

In July 2018 15-year-old Clacton boy Ben Quartermaine also got into difficulty while in the water.

He was missing for two days before his body was found by a member of the public early on a Saturday morning.

In the wake of his death a programme of swim safety lessons were introduced for youngsters in the Tendring area.