People continue to enter a red flagged, no-go zone on Exmouth beach despite warnings from the RNLI and coastwatch

BEACHGOERS continue to put their lives at risk by entering a no-go zone on Exmouth beach.

Despite reports of a family who cheated death last month after they were caught in a rip tide, The Journal has obtained photographs of people who persist in entering the dangerous red flagged bathing area, writes Graham Britton.

The images, supplied by a member of Exmouth’s National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), show a boy retrieving a ball, a father with his two children and a group of teenage girls, all within the zone.

A concerned Arnold Kanarek, from the NCI, said people were spotted in the area everyday.

“Unfortunately, on almost every watch we see people ignoring the warning signs, flags and putting themselves at risk,” he said.

“Last Thursday (July 29), the same day that your article (about the family’s ordeal) appeared, we had to call the beach rescue lifeguards three times to warn people who were paddling and bathing in the danger zone.

“The area has large noticeboards and flags, which clearly state no bathing and no paddling,” said Mr Kanarek.

A spokesperson for East Devon District Council urged everyone who used the beach to take notice of safety signs, which stated where it was and was not safe to go.

“On no account should anyone ever swim between the red flags, however good a swimmer they are or however calm the sea looks,” said the spokesperson.

“The red flags are there for a reason. It is equally important that, on beaches without lifeguards, safety information signage is always followed.”

If anyone is in any doubt about whether and where to swim, they should go to the lifeguard station or call East Devon District Council on (01395) 516551 to speak to the beach safety officer.