Warning after 'tombstoning' death

Coastguards on Sunday issued another warning about the dangers of the craze which has claimed at least one other life.

In the first incident at 1.30am a 46 year old man died when he leaped 30ft into the sea at low tide at Berry Head, Brixham, south Devon. The man, from nearby Torquay, was pronounced dead at the scene when he jumped from a waterside building near a disused quarry.

Devon and Cornwall police said the man had been drinking with friends at Berry Head. A police spokesman said: "This was apparently some kind of stunt which the male had performed many times before."

In a separate incident in Cornwall, a 29-year-old man was taken to hospital after jumping into the sea and knocking himself unconscious.

Falmouth Coastguards said the incident at Trevaunance Cove, near St Agnes, happened at 6.49am. A local lifeboat recovered the man from the sea, and a member of the public also went into the water to give assistance.

Falmouth coastguards said the man had been out all night with friends when he decided to leap from cliffs into the sea.

Coastguards Watch Manager James Instance reiterated the warning about people jumping off cliffs into water - sometimes known as tombstoning.

"We would like to take this opportunity to warn people of the dangers of jumping into the sea from cliffs and structures.

"Those who seek thrills by leaping into the sea at height should bear in mind that there are often rocks under the surface of the water which can cause severe and at times fatal injuries. In addition, tidal conditions can mean that what was a deep pool one day can be a shallow puddle the next."