Beware that brisk seaside stroll – it could just be the death of you

As millions prepare to head for the coast on the last Bank Holiday of the year, the new biggest killer at the seaside can be disclosed. It is a walk by the shore.

The fast-growing popularity of walking for pleasure along beaches and cliffs has led to it becoming the main cause of recreational deaths on the British coastline.



The number of people who die on a seaside walk tends to rise and fall each year depending on the weather but this is the first time that walking has killed more people than either swimming or diving. The particularly poor weather so far in 2007, including high winds and driving rain, is likely to have played its part in increasing this year’s toll.

Six people died while taking a walk between January and July this year. Five were killed swimming and two sub-aqua diving. “Tomb-stoning”, the new craze for jumping from a height into the sea, has led to five deaths in the first seven months of 2007. Of the dead walkers, three slipped, tripped or fell; one was buried under a landslide; one followed animals into the water; and one was an old lady who was ill.