One of two missing Christmas Day swimmers found

The body of a 47-year-old man has been recovered after two swimmers went missing on Christmas Day, police have said.

Officers said they found the man at Sandy Bay near Exmouth on Tuesday after two swimmers went missing in stormy seas at Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on 25 December.

Formal identification is yet to be carried out, but officers said they believe the person to be a 47-year-old man. His next-of-kin have been informed.

One of the swimmers was named as 64-year-old local antiques dealer Matthew Upham.

Supt Ryan Doyle, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the discovery was "very sad news".

He added: "We have spoken with his family and we are continuing to support them through this difficult time. Understandably they have asked for their privacy to be respected.

"The family of the second missing man has also been informed and are being supported."

According to a friend, Upham had gone into the sea to help a woman in difficulty.

"Matthew is deeply loved and will be forever missed," said his family, thanking emergency services who responded.

Singer-songwriter Kate Bush also paid tribute to one of her "very dearest friends" who she had known for 30 years.

She said she was "heartbroken" to hear the "extraordinarily kind, thoughtful" man had gone missing.

The alarm was raised at 10:25 GMT on 25 December after groups of swimmers ran into the sea.

BBC journalist Phillip Stoneman, who was at the swim, previously described the conditions as the "roughest it's been".

RNLI crews as well as coastguard helicopters carried out extensive shoreline and offshore searches and a number of people were safely brought back to shore.

They were checked either by paramedics at the scene or taken to hospital as a precaution.

Organisers of some Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall had postponed or cancelled events due to a yellow weather warning for wind.

Flowers were placed along the edge of the beach at Budleigh Salterton and outside the antiques shop run by Upham with local people saying the incident had "struck the heart" of the seaside town.

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