Man missing after going swimming in river

A 23-year-old man is missing after going swimming in the River Mersey.

Haydn Griffiths was last seen swimming off New Brighton, Wirral, at around 10.30pm on Tuesday.

A Merseyside Police spokeswoman said he was wearing dark-coloured shorts and attempting to swim towards wind turbines in the Derby Pool area.

She said: “An extensive search of the river was carried out last night and today by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency but Haydn was not found and the search has now been suspended.

“Haydn is white, 6ft 1in tall, of athletic build, with short blond hair and blue eyes.”

Meanwhile, searches for a swimmer who was reported missing in the sea close to Clacton Pier in Essex on Tuesday have since been scaled down.

At least 13 people have died in Britain while swimming during a spell of record-breaking hot weather, cabinet minister Kit Malthouse told parliament on Wednesday.

More from UK

Britain registered a new record temperature of 40.3C (104.5F) in central England on Tuesday, while 34 places surpassed the previous high of 38.7C (101.7F) recorded in 2019.

At least 41 properties were destroyed in London and more than a dozen were gutted elsewhere as the scorching weather sparked wildfires.

Anyone who has seen Mr Griffiths or has any information should contact police by calling 101, quoting reference 22000518807.