19-year-old Preston man drowns after 'getting into difficulty' off St Annes pier

The man has is believed to have got into difficulty swimming in the sea close to the town's pier as England's heatwave came to an end.

Lancashire Police said in a statement that emergency services including the HM Coastguard were called to at around 7.20pm yesterday to reports of a person drowning in the Ribble estuary.

The man, from Preston, was rescued from the water and taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital but he died a short while later.

A police spokesman said: "The man’s next of kin are being informed and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding his death and it is not currently being treated as suspicious."

Three other people were also taken to hospital to be treated for water inhalation, but their injuries are not expected to be life threatening.

The death the follows the drowning of a Blackpool teen boxer, regarded as a 'future world champion', on Thursday.

Frank Varey, 16, died after drowning in a Cheshire river.

He had been a member of Sharpstyle ABC boxing gym in Blackpool and he was reported missing after swimming in the River Dee. His body was later recovered

The deaths come have come at a time where coastguard crews serving the Fylde coast have provided safety guidance for those visiting the beach for World Drowning Prevention Day today.

The global advocacy event aims to highlight the "tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities" and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it.

During this month alone, Fleetwood coastguard has been called out to 44 incidents.

Around 11 of those callouts were to people reported to be in difficulty in the water, amounting to around 20 people in total.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident in St Annes yesterday to contact police on 101 or email [email protected] quoting log number 1515 of July 23.