Christmas Day Search Off Budleigh Salterton Coast

Emergency services launched a major search operation off the coast of Budleigh Salterton in east Devon on Christmas Day after reports of concern for people in the water. The incident, which began around 10:25 a.m., involved coastguard and Royal National Lifeboat Institution crews working alongside Devon and Cornwall Police to respond to the situation near Exmouth.

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that a number of individuals had been safely brought ashore by early afternoon and were awaiting medical assessments from paramedics. Search efforts continued in the water as responders aimed to account for everyone involved. Officials described the scene as involving a significant deployment of personnel, emphasizing the need for public cooperation to ensure safety.

A police spokesperson stated, "Coastguard and RNLI crews are continuing search efforts in the water. There is a significant amount of emergency service personnel working on this incident and we ask that people do not enter the water along this stretch of coast while this incident is ongoing for public safety reasons." Earlier warnings urged beachgoers to avoid the area entirely and specifically instructed participants to...