Safety warning to fishermen after two brothers drown off Treyarnon Bay

A coroner has ruled that two brothers who were swept out to sea off Cornwall last September drowned by accident.

Charles Allen, 21, and Dr Robert Allen, 30, from Bristol were fishing off rocks at Treyarnon Cove, near Padstow, in north Cornwall on 4 September last year.

Today, the inquest at Cornwall Coroner's Court in Truro heard from the brother-in-law of the two men. Andrew Thornton was with the two brothers on that fateful day.

Robert, a research associate at the University of Bath, was hit by a "freak wave" and swept away by the current. His younger brother Charles was also washed out to sea when he tried to save him. The pair were unable to swim to safety.

A major search and rescue operation recovered Charles from the water, but he died later in hospital. The body of Robert was found a week later near Booby's Bay.

The coroner recorded that both brothers had died an "accidental death" by drowning.

The RNLI says it shows just how unpredictable the sea can be.

As a direct result of this incident, the RNLI has launched an education programme to improve angling safety:

The RNLI is now investigating whether public safety equipment could be installed at the bay where the tragedy happened.