Moment heroic cafe owner plunges into the waves to save three children he spotted getting into difficulty in rough sea

By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:23, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 10:24, 7 August 2026 A heroic cafe chef sprinted into the sea fully clothed to save three children he spotted in difficulty in the water. Dramatic footage shows the moment Steven Doorey-Williams, 56, rushed into the water with a buoyancy ring after hearing the children's screams. The ex-Royal Marine and retired firefighter was working in a seaside eatery on the promenade at Dumpton Gap beach near Broadstairs on Wednesday when he noticed the struggling children. Without hesitation, the owner of the Bayside Cafe waded into the rough sea and first used the life ring to pull a young girl and boy from the water. He then returned to rescue the second boy, who was struggling in deeper water, dragging him to shore through the waves. Witness Jo Drake said: 'I walked past his kitchen and saw him cooking then as I walked on it became apparent these children were in trouble. 'He didn't hesitate when he heard the screaming, 'He just waded in fully clothed and rescued the children. He's a hero.' Dramatic footage shows the moment Steven Doorey-Williams, 56, rushed into the water with a buoyancy ring after hearing the screams of the children The ex-Royal Marine and retired firefighter was working in a seaside eatery on the promenade at Dumpton Gap beach near Broadstairs when he noticed the struggling children Without hesitation, the owner of the Bayside Cafe waded into the rough sea to save the young children  Another witness, Andy Milnes, said: 'I saw the whole incident. Steve was there immediately and assisted all three kids ashore.' Local Amanda Rooke said: 'Well done Steve, fantastic response and bravery.' Michelle Hallissey added: 'What a hero. Well done for saving these children, amazing.' It comes as, earlier this week, a boy drowned off the coast of Yorkshire after being swept into the sea by a huge rip tide. Coastguard, fire crews and police were all scrambled within minutes of him going missing at 6.11pm on Tuesday – just a few minutes after lifeguards clocked off for the day. Three other people are believed to have been rescued.  Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy drowned after going into the water in east London on Monday. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 6.48pm to reports that a boy had entered the Millwall Outer Dock near East Ferry Road on the Isle of Dogs. The force said despite the efforts of emergency services, the boy was retrieved from the river at 10.30pm and pronounced dead. Tuesday's incident in East Yorkshire also occurred less than 20 miles away from where 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept out to sea in January. Grace died in the sea at Withernsea, along with her mother, Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who went into the water to help her on the afternoon of January 2 and immediately got into difficulties themselves, an inquest heard in May. The search for Grace's body took 13 days and it was eventually found trapped among giant boulders used for sea defences to the south of where the incident happened.     In July, a 'family day out' at West Mersea Beach in Essex turned into a nightmare as six family relatives got into difficulty in the water having been swept away by a 'very strong' tide.  A seven-year-old boy, Musa Ahmed, died in hospital after being rescued from the water, while his 15-year-old cousin, Sameeha Rahman, and her mother Shelina Rahman, 41, both died at the scene. At least 39 deaths have been reported this summer linked with open-water incidents, according to the PA news agency. The National Water Safety Forum reported there were 202 water-related fatalities across the whole of last year in the UK. Data for this year is expected next May.