Tombstoning warning: 'I jumped in...and woke up 6 weeks later in hospital'
A man, who was left paralysed from the chest down by a tombstoning accident 20 years ago, is pleading for people to stop.
Nick Biddlecombe was just 17 when he broke his neck while jumping into the sea at Lepe Beach in Hampshire.
He says it's taken him 20 years to come to terms with his accident, but "not everyone has [a strong support network] and I'm not sure everyone would make it."
Nick Biddlecombe was visiting Lepe Beach with friends in 2000.
They decided to head towards the White House on the beach, with Nick diving in first.
"I jumped in and woke up under the water," he said.
"I couldn't swim to the top and then it all went black and I woke up in hospital six weeks later.
"Then I was told it was a lot more serious and that I wasn't going to walk again."
Speaking to ITV Meridian that summer, his mother described how the family were told "there was a chance he wouldn't make it through the night."
Now paralysed, Nick lives with 24 hour care because of his injuries, which even meant he was forced to shield because of coronavirus.
"I have to have care getting out of bed, going to bed and everything else you'd think.
"It's not stuff I could say I'm ever okay with.
"I'm lucky that I've got a good support network," he said.
"But not everyone has that and I'm not sure everyone would make it."
But despite warnings given by people like Nick, young people continue to put themselves at risk.
In May, three men were seriously injured jumping from Durdle Door in Dorset.
In Portsmouth, the city council has launched a new campaign to try and stop tombstoning in the Hot Walls area of the seafront.
Cllr Steve Pitts said: "The area where they jump off and land it can be deceptively shallow.
"There are obstructions in the water and it's that that causes the serious injuries."