West Mersea rescue couple question lack of life-saving gear

A couple who tried to rescue a mother and daughter who drowned have called for more life-saving equipment on the beach where they died.

Craig Bowe, 42, battled the incoming tide at West Mersea, near Colchester, three times after hearing screams on Wednesday evening, while wife Carly, 43, rang 999.

Their daughters ran to a cafe to retrieve the life jacket and flotation ring used by Craig, who said: “I think the floating devices have to be closer to the front of the shore.”

A risk assessment by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK in March concluded rescue equipment would be unlikely to be effectively deployed in an emergency, said Colchester City Council.

Shally Rahman, 41, and Samiha Rahman, 15, died on Wednesday while trying to help a seven-year-old relative out of the water.

“There has to be more life jackets, there has to be more rings, so the fact that my daughter had to go over the road to the cafe to get a life jacket is so frustrating,” said Carly.

Craig said by the third rescue, he had put on the life jacket to help with his own buoyancy in the increasingly rough sea while he used the ring to help bring back one of the survivors.