Why do only some beaches have lifeguards?
GettyLifeguard cover on the North East's coastline varies significantly, the BBC has found.
There have been calls for better lifeguard provisions at Seaton Carew in Hartlepool after the deaths of Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe on 12 July. The beach's lifeguard service, which is put on by the council, did not start this summer until Monday.
Others across Teesside and Tyne and Wear pay the RNLI, which mostly guards beaches across the region between May and September, while there are no paid lifeguards in Northumberland and County Durham.
Hartlepool Borough Council said it provided a seasonal lifeguard service. Durham and Northumberland county councils said they had put in other water safety measures.
Following the deaths at Seaton Carew, last week a man died at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside after getting into difficulty.
There is no government mandate to provide lifeguards on beaches.
In 2019 a Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) report said there was an "inexplicable gap" in how beach safety was regulated in the UK.
When asked why this gap had not been filled in the seven years since the report was published, the MCA referred the BBC to the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office then referred the BBC to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport.
No comment has been received.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK's policy and public affairs manager Pete Kennedy said little had changed since the 2019 report.
"It beggars belief that local councils can choose not to provide lifeguards at popular beaches, no matter how many people continue to drown," he said.
Kennedy said the charity was calling on the government to clarify its legal duties on water safety and appoint a minister responsible for it.
"Drowning is a preventable public health issue - the government must act now," he said.
Seaton Carew is the only beach in the North East which has council lifeguards.
Hartlepool Council said it stopped patrols on the Fish Sands on the Headland in 2024 due to recruitment challenges.
It also said impact assessments had suggested incidents in this area "more commonly required minor first aid for slips, trips and falls rather than lifeguarding services".
It said it provided a seasonal lifeguard service "although local authorities are not generally required by law to provide lifeguards on public beaches".
"The council has chosen to invest in this service to help support the safety of residents and visitors enjoying the coastline," a statement said.
The authority added that lifeguard provision was refocused on Seaton Carew "because it attracts the highest visitor numbers and has the infrastructure, to support thousands of visitors during the summer season".
There are 13 beaches in the North East patrolled by RNLI lifeguards during the daytime.
But dozens of sites on the region's coastline do not have lifeguards including all those managed by Durham County Council as well as popular Northumberland spots such as Druridge Bay.
'Just as busy in week'
In Northumberland there is one beach with lifeguards but this service is run by volunteers and is largely only provided on weekends.
Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club began Blyth Beach patrols in 1962.
The club's captain Michele Weedy said the team currently safeguarded a 200 to 300m (656ft to 984ft) stretch of the beach during the summer on weekend and bank holiday afternoons.
She said last year the team faced at least one incident every weekend and the beach was becoming increasingly popular following the opening of the Northumberland Line.
"Sometimes through the week [when there are no lifeguards] the beach can be just as busy," she said.
She called for there to be more lifeguards on the beach and the council to pay them.
Northumberland County Council said the majority of its beaches were rural and did not receive many visitors.
It also said it relied on safety signage, rescue equipment and always advised visitors to take care when using waters off its coastline.
PA MediaLifeguard provisions vary across the North East in other ways.
This year, the southern stretch of Tynemouth's Longsands is manned between 23 May and 6 September whereas the northern stretch of the beach only has lifeguards between 18 July and 6 September.
North Tyneside Council said the cover had been decided following a risk assessment.
The RNLI said councils contributed to the seasonal wage of its lifeguards.
It also said other measures such having permanent signage and carrying out beach safety education were important.
Durham County Council said it was currently in discussions with the RNLI over its beaches.
It said it only managed a small stretch of its 11-mile (18km) coastline and it carried out risk assessments on all the open water sites it managed.
The authority also said it delivered water safety school assemblies and swimming lessons at leisure centres.
