Three swimmers rushed to hospital after incident near Clacton Pier as UK heatwave continues

Three swimmers were rushed to hospital this afternoon after encountering trouble in the sea close to Clacton Pier in Essex.

It comes as Britain's fourth heatwave of the summer shows no signs of relenting.

A major emergency response, including a helicopter, was launched at the popular coastal spot shortly after 4.30pm following reports that people were struggling in the water.

All three individuals were pulled to shore and transported to hospital.

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They continue to receive further medical care.

The incident occurred amid ongoing concerns about the dangerous conditions posed by extreme heat, with fears of droughts and wildfires affecting both Scotland and southern England.

Essex Police issued a statement confirming the scale of the response.

The force said: "All emergency services have been at the scene of an incident close to Clacton Pier, which began shortly after 4.30pm today."

The statement added: "Ambulance service colleagues reported three people had got into difficulty in the water and had been brought ashore.

"All three required medical treatment and have been taken to hospital for further care."

Police also expressed gratitude to members of the public at the scene, saying: "Thank you to everyone who followed instructions to allow emergency services to work quickly at the scene."

Officials have warned that the high temperatures are likely to take a toll on people's health and wellbeing, with yellow heat alerts currently covering six regions of England.

The East Midlands, East of England, London, the South East, South West and West Midlands all remain under warning until 9am on Sunday morning.

Some relief is anticipated on Sunday, however, as cooler and fresher conditions are forecast to move in across much of the country.

The South East may still see highs of 25C to 26C, while most other areas are expected to drop back to the high teens and low twenties, bringing a temporary end to the prolonged spell of extreme warmth.

Temperatures are set to surge once more from Monday, when the South East could reach 27C, narrowly missing the region's heatwave threshold of 28C.

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By Tuesday, however, that benchmark will be breached, with mercury climbing above 30C and remaining there through to Thursday.

The prospect of yet another sustained period of scorching weather underlines the relentless pattern that has defined this summer.

According to the Met Office's longer-range outlook, the coming week's heatwave may not even mark the season's final bout of extreme temperatures, suggesting further periods of intense heat could still lie ahead.

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