Dad 'surprised boat trip went ahead' on day of Bournemouth tragedy - RECAP

Sea conditions on Wednesday

The Dorset Belle has the capacity to take 80 passengers on £15 pleasure trips around Poole Bay and Poole Harbour.

According to its Facebook page, the sea conditions around Bournemouth pier on Wednesday morning were said to be too dangerous for it to sail.

A statement on the page stated: "...the sea conditions at Bournemouth pier are set to improve this afternoon..so we are planning of (sic) carry out at 16.00, 17.00, 18.00 & 19.00 round the bay...once we are happy with our berthing trial."

'No way I'd let my kids go in the water now'

Parents on the beach spoke of their fears about the state of the sea.

Ryan Hutchins, 48: "There's no way I'd let my kids go in the water now. Just looking at it today it looks very rough. Absolutely not."

Mary Jacobs, a mother of two on holiday from Forest of Dean, Glocs, said: "We're being very cautious. Seeing what happened has put us on our guard. Paddling only this holiday."

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'Created dangerous conditions'

Conor Burns, the MP for Bournemouth West, has suggested that the wash from a water craft may have 'created the dangerous conditions' that led to the deaths of the two children.

He said: "It would seem not a far reach to draw a conclusion that while the vessel may not have physically touched the young people perhaps it created the conditions which made being in the water more dangerous by the speed it was going."

Prop wash from a boat can create an undertow when the vessel changes from reverse to forwards or if it suddenly accelerates away from a stationary position.

The Dorset Belle pleasure cruise sails past the pier (Max Willcock/BNPS)

Dorset Belle 'returned to pier twice during incident'

The boat was recorded returning to the pier at 4.40pm and leaving at 5.03pm, according to the online database My Ship Tracking.

It then made a final visit to the pier at 5.36pm and remained there for 15 minutes before going to back to Poole.

'At first I thought it was a shark attack'

Luke, 35, from Kingston, south west London, was on a three-day holiday on the south coast with his wife and two children.

He said lifeguards had made announcements warning people about riptides and not to swim close to the pier prior to the tragedy.

Those on board had no idea about the incident until they docked back up at the pier and saw the beach had been evacuated, he said.

He told the Mirror: "When we looked no one was on the beach and before we left everyone was on the beach. It was empty, everyone was just staring.

"I’m first thinking it was a shark attack, because I did hear there was a shark attack a few weeks back."

Luke then spoke to the boat operator who told him one person had been pulled from the water and one was still missing.

"As he's told me that, we looked up to the sea and the 17-year-old was being pulled out. The ambulance came across and collected him."

Flowers left at the beach beside the pier (Max Willcock/BNPS)

Police onboard the boat

Police were seen on board the Dorset Belle that was impounded at Cobb's Quay Marine in Poole.

It is unclear how long the boat will be impounded for

MPs calls for a review into safety measures

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP, for Bournemouth East, told the PA news agency: "There needs to be a review, the police are conducting their investigation, there needs to be a review of the circumstances to see whether any safety measures and protocols need to be upgraded to ensure this doesn't happen in the future.

"I encourage Dorset Police to clarify the general circumstances of this tragic accident to avoid further wild speculation and uncertainty for parents who may be cautious about going to any part of the beach, unclear of exactly what happened in this terrible incident."

Inside pleasure boat trip on day of Bournemouth beach tragedy

A dad who was on board a pleasure cruise when the deaths of two children at Bournemouth beach occurred said he was surprised the trip continued.

Luke Owen and his family set out with dozens of others on the Dorset Belle just minutes before 10 people got into trouble in the water on Wednesday - with a boy, 17, and a girl, 12, later pronounced dead.

The boat - which sets off throughout the day from the North Beach's Victorian pier - has since been impounded by police at Cobb's Quay Marina in Poole. A man in his 40s arrested on suspicion of manslaughter has been released under investigation.

Luke captured some footage from the deck looking back at the shore and pier. It is unclear of the circumstances, with Dorset Police confirming it is not believed a vessel struck any of the victims.

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Luke Owen captured footage during the Dorset Belle's final trip on Wednesday

The boat being guarded by police this morning

Images from this morning show the boat surrounded by police vehicles.

Police yesterday impounded the boat.

The vessel is said to have made numerous trips around Bournemouth Pier on Wednesday - close to the vicinity of the tragedy which claimed two lives.

During today's lunchtime press briefing yesterday, assistant chief constable Rachel Farrell said there was no evidence to suggest "contact between a vessel and swimmers".

The boat is being guarded by police vans (PA)

Mass brawl of '50 youths with weapons' erupts on Bournemouth beach

A mass brawl involving around 50 young people erupted on a beach in Bournemouth a day after two children tragically died.

Dorset Police were called to the beach near Bournemouth Pier at 3pm yesterday and one person was detained.

The force said a young person who was at the scene was treated for minor injuries and enquiries are ongoing.

The young people involved in the brawl reportedly had "bats and weapons", it was claimed on social media.

Latest police statement

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan, of Dorset Police, said: “Our thoughts remain very much with the loved ones of the two young people at this horrendous time and we are doing all we can to support their families.

“We are continuing with our investigation, which is still at the early stages, and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident to both protect our enquiries and out of respect for the victims’ families.

“Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any swimmers at the time of the incident and there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet skis being involved.

“We know that the beach was very busy when this incident occurred. I am urging anyone who saw what happened, or has any information that may assist our investigation, to please come forward.

“Also, I urge anyone with relevant phone footage that may assist our enquiries to submit it to Dorset Police via the Major Incident Public Portal quoting Operation Marble rather than sharing it on social media.

“I would like to sincerely thank the members of the public who went to help the people in trouble in the water. I am also very grateful for the wider beachgoers who cleared the beach really quickly and allowed the emergency services to do their work.

“This incident sparked a multi-agency response from a range of emergency services, including the ambulance service, HM Coastguard, the RNLI, the fire service, BCP Council and Dorset Police. All these emergency responders came together to provide a really swift and well-coordinated response and did everything they could to save lives. I thank all of those responders for their professionalism and compassion in the face of this tragedy.

“We will have our local neighbourhood officers out on patrol over the coming days alongside our colleagues from the beach services at the local council and the RNLI. So if you have any information about the incident, or any concerns please do approach them."

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell (centre) during yesterday's press conference (PA)

Riptide warnings given to beachgoers

Beachgoer Stuart Clark, 42, said there were announcements throughout Wednesday afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier.

He said people appeared to take notice as no one was on there that he saw.

There was then another announcement at 4pm - around half an hour before the tragedy - about a "dangerous riptide in the water".

"It wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea," he added.

Beachgoers were warned of 'dangerous riptides' around half an hour before the incident (Max Willcock/BNPS)

Pleasure boat impounded by Dorset Police

Police investigating yesterday's tragedy have today impounded a pleasure boat, known as the Dorset Belle.

The vessel is said to have made numerous trips around Bournemouth Pier on Wednesday - close to the vicinity of the tragedy which claimed two lives..

During today's lunchtime press briefing today, assistant chief constable Rachel Farrell said there was no evidence to suggest "contact between a vessel and swimmers".

Dorset Belle tourist sightseeing boat comes alongside at Bournemouth Pier (Alamy Stock Photo)

Tributes to the 12-year-old girl

A relative of the young girl who died paid tribute, saying: “She was the best cousin in the world and was like my sister.

“You showed me what love is, you’re my sister, always remember that you will go to heaven.”

Flowers left at the beach beside the pier (Max Willcock/BNPS)

Teenage boy was on day trip with pals to the beach, reports say

A 17-year-old boy who died had been on a day trip with pals when tragedy struck, it was reported.

Lauren Tate, 18, who has been named as a survivor by her dad, is now home after being rushed to hospital.

Her dad told MailOnline: “We’ve seen all the stuff about boats and jet skis but it wasn’t like that. She was swimming in the sea with her friends when the rip tide took them out.

“She was lucky to get pulled from the sea by the coastguard and one of her other friends was rescued by a paddleboarder.

“I know the boy who died was at college with her, but I don’t know anything about him. All she told me is that they all met up on the train and headed to Bournemouth beach for the day.”

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Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell (centre) during yesterday's press conference (PA)