THE mother of Callum Baker-Osborne has warned families of the “dangers” of Rockley Park beach in a bid to “stop” a similar incident happening again.

Ann Marie Osborne has urged families to “find a safer beach” just over two weeks after her 18-year-old son Callum died in the waters there.

She told the Daily Echo: “We were there for not even half an hour and I lost my son. I just think that people should be aware of the dangers. I don’t want other families to feel the way that we feel, because we’re devastated.”

“If they can’t close the Rockley Park beach then they should add safety measures. There’s no telephone to call for immediate help, no lifeguards or rubber rings and there are no signs to warn swimmers about the tide, I just can’t understand why not.

“The tide is not a 24-hour tide, it goes in and out four or five times a day. With the black bridge area, boulders have been put underneath to stabilise it but that causes whirlpools and harder currents.

“Nobody seems to own that bit of beach as the buck gets passed every time I ask. I asked Rockley Park what they’re doing to improve safety and was told that they rent the space from the council. But that’s not good enough.

“If you buy a car, you check the car out, if you rent a house, you check the foundations out. So, if you rent a beach, surely you should check it’s safe for the thousands of families that visit the park every year?”

Ann Marie added that the day Callum was found, Rockley Park opened the beach up as normal. She also said that the family had been offered a free holiday, to which she said: “I don’t want a free holiday, I want my son back.”

A spokesperson for Rockley Park said: "As the incident unfolded, we made accommodation available at no cost to his family to stay whilst the search was underway for Callum. 

"In our discussions with his family after the search was concluded, Callum’s family indicated that they would like to return in future to commemorate his tragic passing. We responded by saying we would offer them our support to make that visit and that they should contact us when the time was right from their perspective. We know that nothing can replace Callum's loss but our team members have worked to offer whatever help and support we can at this hugely difficult time.

“This was a tragic event and the heartfelt condolences of everyone at the park remain with Callum’s family and friends.

“Following the incident, a review was also initiated with input from all organisations who have involvement in water and land issues in the local area. This process is ongoing and is designed to ensure all parties – guests, beach users as well as local businesses and organisations – have the knowledge needed to help maintain water safety into the future.”

Ann Marie added: “When searching for my son, divers told us that the waters at Rockley are some of the most dangerous waters they have worked in and that it should never be advertised as a beach.

“This water is deadly. Do we have to lose another life before someone does something?

“I beg all families to find a safer beach. If it’s my last wish, I will stop this from happening to another family.”

The RNLI, who were praised by the family for their search efforts, said: “We continue to offer our condolences to Callum’s family at this very difficult time. We will also be looking very closely at any safety recommendations made by the coroner when the inquest into his death is held.”