Pictured: Hero father who died alongside another man as they battled to save his children after the youngsters got into trouble at sea

By TOM LAWRENCE, NEWS REPORTER and GLEN KEOGH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 23:34, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 23:36, 13 July 2026 A heroic father died trying to rescue his two children after they got into trouble at a beach in Hartlepool. Wayne Taylor bravely entered the sea alongside another unnamed man at Seaton Carew Beach in County Durham on Sunday. Tragically, both men died before they were able to save the boy and girl. Witnesses said Mr Taylor was swept away by the strong currents as he tried to rescue the youngsters and drowned alongside the second man, who had been walking his dog along the beach with his partner. Their bodies were brought to shore by the RNLI, who rushed to the scene at around 3.45pm.  Both children escaped unharmed thanks in part to the efforts of other beachgoers.  They were taken to hospital to be checked over.  The family had been on a day out from Shildon, County Durham, and had been enjoying their afternoon on the beach until their two younger children got into trouble.  A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched for Mr Taylor's family to help cover funeral costs and to support his children.  Hero father Wayne Taylor bravely rushed into the sea to try and save his children, but he too got swept away by the strong current Police attend the scene at Seaton Carew Beach in Hartlepool, County Durham, after the two men drowned Organiser Shannon Bailey said that Mr Taylor had been on a day out with his children when they got into difficulty in the water. 'Wayne jumped in and tried his best to save them along with another member of the public who also sadly lost his life,' she wrote. She gave thanks to the members of the public who helped to save the two children, saying they are 'forever grateful'. She added: 'Sadly two men lost their life no one could describe the pain they're feeling or enduring in this difficult time.' One of the strangers who also entered the water to rescue the children was Davey Short.  The painter and decorator, 48, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, helped to rescue one of the children, needing two attempts to pull him from the waves. Despite his heroic actions, he said it was simply 'what any man in my position would do'. Mr Short said: 'There were three children at the beach with their mam and dad, a boy aged 15, a second boy aged 11 or 12 and a younger girl. 'The two younger kids were in the sea and they'd started to struggle in the waves. 'I had taken a stroll along the beach from my mother's home nearby and was planning to have a dip but the sea looked a bit choppy and rough so I sat down on a sand dune looking out to sea. 'I realised that there was a child in some trouble they were getting buffeted by the waves and as I looked I saw a second figure next to the boy and he was face down in the water. 'At first I thought he was snorkelling but I realised something had gone wrong. I discovered afterwards that the father of the children had gone in to rescue them and had been swept off and he didn't get back out. 'A second man had also gone in and he drowned as well. He was a guy who had been out walking his dog with his partner and he ran in to help. She saw the whole thing, it's devastating to think about that. 'I was the third person to go into the water. The children's mother was on the beach, she was hysterical and asking if I could help because she couldn't swim. 'Her eldest son had gone into the water as well to try to rescue his brother and sister but they were still out there. 'I managed to swim out and get hold of the boy. I told him, "swim to me, swim to me", and I managed to grab hold of his hand and pull him towards the shore. 'The waves were strong and they were pushing us around and I lost my grip but with the help of another guy I got hold of him a second time and managed to get him to the shore.' Mr Short said the father of the children was in the water for around 40 minutes before he was finally brought out of the water by rescuers from the RNLI. 'I felt for those children and for their mum, they saw it all happen, and it's something that will never leave any of us,' he added. 'I didn't sleep a wink last night, every time I closed my eyes I could see the man in the water. 'They were just a nice, normal family having a day out at the beach on a lovely hot day and this happened out of the blue.' Davey Short, 48, said the boy was aged around 12 or 13 and had been playing in the waves when he got swept out to sea Mr Short continued: 'Everybody has thanked me. The mother was hysterical, but she has thanked me so much and has been messaging me. 'I am not a hero, I just did what any man in my position would do. 'I just went in. I didn't even think about it.' On Sunday, Superintendent Glen Ward of Cleveland Police said: 'Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today. 'Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea. 'We are conducting enquiries into the circumstances of what happened today, although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner. 'I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks. We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result. 'Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.' The RNLI has been contacted for comment. On Friday, the bodies of two teenagers were recovered in Derby and Greater Manchester following separate water-related incidents. In Derby, an 18-year-old was retrieved from the water below the weir near the Darley Abbey Mills complex on Friday. Emergency services had been called at 12.46pm after two young teenagers got into difficulty. The younger teenager was rescued, but after hours of searches, the 18-year-old was found dead. In Manchester, emergency services were called to Dovestone reservoir in Oldham at around 7pm on Friday. Mr Short claimed it had taken emergency services around 40 minutes to attend the scene – leaving him no choice but to risk his life to rescue the child  They found an 18-year-old unresponsive in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts of medical professionals, the force added. A scene remains in place and inquiries are ongoing, police said. The previous day a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Lincoln – weeks after another teenager drowned at the same site. Lincolnshire Police were called to Swanholme Lakes on Thursday afternoon and the boy was taken to hospital but he died shortly before 9pm. Declan Sawyer, 15, also died after getting into difficulty at the nature reserve on May 24. Last month the family of a teenage boy who drowned at Clifton Country Park in Swinton, Greater Manchester, paid tribute to their much-loved son, brother, nephew and friend, Leon Pafu Ngoy. They said in a statement: 'Leon was our baby, our brother, our best friend and the heart of our family. He was kind, respectful, thoughtful and loved by everyone who knew him.' Britain's May and June heatwaves are thought to have claimed more than 2,700 lives, with almost half of these deaths said to be fuelled by the changing climate. A study estimates that 550 people died during the exceptionally warm spell at the end of May, with a further 2,200 fatalities linked to the ten-day heatwave in June. Fifteen adults and five youngsters were among those who all lost their lives in water during the May heatwave.  Grieving families and rescue charities have urged members of the public to take extreme caution in water and have called for more water safety education in schools. In May, at least three of the victims were said to have been unable to swim or not strong swimmers. From September, it will be compulsory to teach water safety education in Relationships and Sex and Health Education (RSHE) lessons under the school curriculum. Dr Claire Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, argued: 'Every time we have a heatwave, our news is filled with reporters at swimming pools, images of people eating ice cream and sunbathers on beaches. 'We all love the sun, but people need to be aware that we are now seeing dangerous climate-change fuelled heat that is claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals and shutting down transport and infrastructure. 'It's time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers.'