A woman has died after suffering a medical emergency while swimming with her son at a popular beach in Dorset. The incident occurred at Southbourne Beach, between Fisherman’s Walk and Portman Ravine, on Monday afternoon.
Woman pulled from water by members of the public
Bystanders pulled the woman from the sea after she experienced a medical emergency in the water. A beach hut owner told the Dorset Echo that he witnessed the woman in distress while she was with her son. Another local described hearing “all the commotion” as emergency services arrived and said: “They were doing CPR for ages and ages, for an awfully long time.”
Police confirm death not suspicious
A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “At 2.21 pm on Monday 22 June 2026, Dorset Police was called to assist with a medical emergency at Southbourne promenade to clear an area to enable emergency services to attend safely. Sadly, a short time later a woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin is aware and the coroner has been notified. The death is not being treated as suspicious.”
A Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance took off from the beach at around 4.30pm.
Heatwave conditions across UK
The death comes as a “heat-dome” settles over western Europe, with the Met Office warning that temperatures could reach up to 40°C in parts of England and Wales. The June record set in Hampshire in 1976 is likely to be overtaken, and the UK’s all-time high of 40.3°C, recorded in July 2022, could be approached.
The hot conditions, rare for the UK, will be accompanied by high humidity and very warm nights, making it difficult for people to recover overnight. A red weather warning for extreme heat has been issued from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday, covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham.
