Weather: man rescued from sea after ignoring police warnings

 
epa04007937 Waves continue to batter the debris-ridden promenade in Aberystwyth, West Wales, UK after taking a battering from waves driven by storm-force winds 04 January 2014 as gales and heavy rain continue to lash most parts of the country, particularly along the coastline, causing flooding in inland areas. EPA/Dimitris Legakis
Staff|Agency4 January 2014

A man had to be rescued by lifeboat after he defied police warnings and photographed waves from a harbour jetty.

The RNLI were called to rescue the man, who was spotted taking photographs on a jetty in Aberystwyth, Wales

Rescue crews used their dinghy to get close to him then strapped a lifejacket on him and brought him ashore.

As the weather raged around him, waves lashed against the pier and swamped the man, who was trapped at the entrance to the town's harbour by large waves breaking across the wooden jetty.

Fearing for his safety, the RNLI inshore rescue team launched and rescued him from the end of the platform.

The RNLI said that despite repeated warnings to the public to stay away from the coastline, the man had walked to the end of the wooden jetty taking photographs of the huge waves breaking against the jetty and across the road at South Marine Terrace.

An Aberystwyth RNLI Lifeboat spokesman said: "Whilst the extreme sea conditions are attracting people to the coastline, we repeat our warning to the public stay safe and to keep away from the shore line and dangerous waves.

"This incident highlights the dangers posed not only to the man taking photos, but also the danger that our volunteer crew members and other emergency services have been placed in rescuing this man."

The incident in Aberystwyth is the latest in several that have happened across the country since the stormy weather struck.

A man was pulled from the sea at Newquay in Cornwall by police officers after ignoring warnings about the fierce storms.

He was seen in waist high water by police and was dragged from the sea by Sergeant Regie Butler and other officers and taken to hospital.

Two people have already died in the storms. A 27-year-old man from Surrey was found on Porthleven Sands beach in Cornwall after he was swept out to sea on New Year's Eve night, and a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.

Meanwhile, searches have resumed in south Devon for missing 18-year-old Harry Martin - with more than 100 people volunteering to look for him.

The university student was last seen on Thursday afternoon leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, to take photographs of the bad weather.

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