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Grieving Father Of Mike Bindon Warns Bank Holiday Weekend Beachgoers

A grieving father, who lost his son at sea, has urged swimmers planning to head to the beach over the weekend to be cautious.

Phil Bindon's son Mike, who was an experienced fisherman, was lost at sea in January 2014, aged 23, after being swept away by an unexpected wave at Polzeath in Cornwall.

Emergency services were at the scene very quickly, but his body has never been found.

Mr Bindon on Friday urged people to take heed of the RNLI's Respect The Water campaign following the deaths of 12 people in the seas around the UK since last Friday, including a two-year-old girl and her father in Newquay.

On Wednesday, five men died at Camber Sands after being caught by a rapidly rising tide.

Mr Bindon told Sky News: "It was a normal day, he (Mike) set out with a friend of his to go look for some fishing spots and it was the unpredictability of the tides.

"They walked down on the rocks and within seconds a freak wave just came and washed them.

"His friend got wet up to the knees, within seconds Mike was 50 to 60 feet out into the water. It was that quick.

"People need to realise how quickly the water can change within seconds.

"Mike was tragically taken, and to this day, he has never been found.

"We were devastated. We just wanted Mike back. It has been hard for us," he added.

Latest figures show the RNLI has saved 872 people in the UK's seas across the August bank holiday weekends of the last five years, with a further 3,600 being assisted by lifeguards.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to the beaches during the next few days, with sunny spells forecast.

Ross Macleod, of the RNLI, said the scale of the recent tragedies was "unprecedented" in his time at the RNLI.

"It has been a really tragic few weeks," he told Sky News.

"Fortunately this scale of drowning doesn't happen very often, but it is a tragic reminder that people do need to respect the water, and to try and take some small steps to keep themselves safe.

His three pointers on staying safe in the water include:

:: Going to a lifeguarded beach and to swim between the flags in the water.

:: If you find yourself getting into in difficulty in the water, try to stay calm and float, don't try to fight against it. Put your arm in the air and shout for help. If you have something with you that floats, keep it with you, it will help you to float and make it easier for rescuers to find you.

:: If you see someone else in trouble call 999 and ask for the coastguard.