THE RNLI warned three years ago that lifeguards should be deployed on the beach where five men drowned this week, The Argus can exclusively reveal.

Rother District Council confirmed an RNLI risk assessment carried out at Camber Sands in 2013 suggested the use of lifeguards, after previously insisting that the seven-mile stretch of undulating sand had been assessed as safe without lifeguards.

The council has now decided put lifeguards on the beach until the end of the summer season, claiming that an increase in less well-informed visitors from inland locations in the last three years has changed the nature of the risk.

The news comes as the RNLI volunteered six of its staff to guard the beach this weekend.

In a statement issued on Thursday, a council spokeswoman said: “Regular assessments of Camber beach are carried out in conjunction with the RNLI to ensure the area is safe. These checks have not, to date, identified the need for lifeguards.”

But yesterday Brett Shepherd, operations manager for RNLI lifeguards, told The Argus that the RNLI had carried out a detailed risk assessment at Camber Sands, and recommended that lifeguards be deployed.

He said: “We’ve risk assessed the beaches there, working with the council.

“We recommended lifeguards as one control measure, alongside education for people, and the beach patrols which Rother District Council provides.”

The organisation regularly carries out assessments on beaches which take in everything from the size of the waves, the topography of the land and the people who visit, after which they negotiate with councils to provide lifeguarding services.

Late yesterday a spokeswoman for Rother District Council said: “More recently the environment has changed enormously with a different demographic of visitors - many of these are coming from inland and have very little or no experience of the sea and dangers it presents.

“The RNLI assessment in 2013 suggested, among other potential measures, the consideration of a seasonal lifeguarding service.

"In reviewing these suggestions, improvements were made to beach management and a lifeguard service has been kept under constant review.

"Due to the recent fatalities, in agreement with the RNLI, we have reconsidered the suggested measures and feel that, because of the changing nature of demographic, a temporary lifeguarding service needs to be in place until end of season.

"We will then review all options with the RNLI in preparation for next year.”

On Wednesday five friends from London died at Camber.

They were Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18 and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22 and their friends Nitharsan Ravi, 22, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23 and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27.

Earlier this summer Brazilian teen Gustavo Silva da Cruz drowned at the beach and in 2012 29-year-old Tanzeela Ajmal died after being dragged underwater by a rip tide.

Also read: The Argus leader column - Why we must all respect the sea

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE BEAUTY OF GOLDEN SANDS

THREE days after the tragic loss of five lives in the surf and sands of Camber, a clearer picture is starting to emerge not only of what happened but of the dangerous natural forces that took the lives of five young men.

What should have been a lively kickabout in shallow waters turned first into terror and then tragedy as some of the group became stuck in slick and shifting sands off the Sussex coast and then overwhelmed by the fast-rising tide.

After squeezing into the silver VW Golf of University of Brighton student Nitharsan Ravi for the trip down from south east London, the five friends must have enjoyed the opportunity to stretch out on the sands of one of the South Coast’s most popular beaches.

Shortly before 2pm Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, was playing football with his 22-year-old brother Kobikanthan and their friends Inthushan Sriskantharaja, 23, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, as well as 22-year-old Nitharsan.

But later two of the men became stuck in the sands and with the tide sweeping in along deep channels in the undulating beach, all five were soon lost.

Ajirthan Ravi, 19, Nitharsan’s younger brother, explained how rescuers described the events to his family.

He said: “Ken and Inthushan got stuck under the water in the mud and sand. Their legs were sucked in like quicksand.

“The three friends went under the water to try and save them but all five got into difficulty.”

One TripAdvisor description of a resort one kilometre to the east of the Camber beach gives an insight into how fast and how frighteningly the soft sands can harden and trap walkers.

A review of Winchelsea Sands holiday park includes a description of a man’s morning walk with his grandson, during which he felt himself sinking into the sand.

“I panicked and my grandson was behind me so I shouted ‘run fast!’ as I found I could just about get through it by running fast even though every step was sinking into the sand,” it said.

“I looked behind me once I was on firmer ground and to my horror my grandson was stuck up to his knees and was screaming in terror.”

Both were pulled to safety but the story highlights how treacherous the sand can be.

When sand is saturated with water the friction can be reduced and the mixture starts to behave in a way which is part solid, part liquid.

Once your foot sinks in, a vacuum can form around the ankle, making pulling it out almost impossible.

And in some circumstances you can sink as deep as your waist at which point an equilibrium forms and your body will “float” in the mixture.

The phenomenon is a recipe for terror and tragedy on a beach like Camber, on a day like Wednesday, where a long shallow sweep to the sea is punctuated by undulating channels made deeper by the recent storms.

Small changes with sea levels as the tide rises mean water races in to fill these sand valleys and water depths can differ by as much as four or five feet from one step to the next.

Very quickly the young men may have found themselves trapped on the seabed, a long way out to sea.

And sand is not the only deadly threat of coastal waters. On Wednesday as the story broke, some speculated that a rip tide may have swept the men out to their deaths.

Rip tides form when a break in sandbank channels water from breaking waves into a fast-moving channel of water racing away from the shore.

Fatalities tend to come not from people being swept under the waves but from exhaustion trying to fight the current.

The best advice is to swim parallel to the shore, to escape the channel – or to hold your nerve and allow yourself to be swept out, only to swim back to shore in a diagonal.

Longshore drift – a separate phenomenon – can pull even strong swimmers hundreds of metres down the coast and cause them to become disorientated or exhausted.

And even on calm days freak waves or unexpected rocks can bring danger or death to humans who are, after all, not primarily designed by nature to live in the water.

None of which is to say the beautiful Sussex coast we are so fortunate to enjoy is not a tranquil, beautiful place which brings joy to millions – often without any accidents. It is, and it should be enjoyed as such.

Just as the forests of central Germany, or the peaks of the Swiss Alps are relished by countless walkers, backpackers, skiers and holidaymakers.

But our shores and our seas are wild and untamed and that natural beauty contains an inherent danger.

So with the bank holiday approaching and spirits and temperatures high, our beaches are places to be proud of, to make the most of and to enjoy.

But they must also be respected, and their glistening waters must never be taken for granted.

BEACHGOERS WARNED OF HAZARDS OF SEA

IN a week in which 12 people have been killed in accidents around the UK coast line, this picture has sparked concern.

A child looks close to being knocked down by the waves on the coast at Saltdean.

The picture, right, was captured by Dominic Vacher on Saturday, the day after a father and his two-year-old daughter were swept out to sea at Newquay, Cornwall, and died in hospital.

Yesterday Brighton and Hove City Council warned of the potentially fatal hazards on the coast.

A spokesman said: “Even on a calm day sea currents, undertow or a sudden change in weather can create life threatening hazards without warning.

“The sea temperature can also be deceptive.”

As well as the five deaths in Camber Sands this week, on Saturday, a man in his 50s drowned while swimming outside the safe swim area at Sandbanks, Dorset.

Just up the coast off Poole Harbour a 32-year-old woman drowned while swimming in stormy waters off Green Island, while a 37-year-old woman and her six-year-old son drowned off Aberdeen beach in Scotland and a 57-year-old woman drowned while wind surfing in West Mersea, Essex.

Yesterday authorities were also warning beachgoers about diving into the water from high bridges or other seaside structures, known as tombstoning.

Simon Blackburn, chairman of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “Tombstoning is extremely dangerous and grim statistics show that anyone doing it could kill themselves or end up with life-changing or serious injuries.

“Shallow water, unseen objects under the water, hitting something on the way down or simply landing badly can lead to people being killed or paralysed,” he added.

HOW TO STAY SAFE IN THE SEA

  • Only swim within the areas patrolled by lifeguards. These are clearly marked with red and yellow flags.
  • Even on a calm day sea currents, undertow or a sudden change in weather can create life-threatening hazards without warning.
  • The sea temperature can also be deceptive
  • Never go into the sea after drinking alcohol.
  • Never jump off any structure directly into the sea – you can never be sure how deep the water is below.
  • Swim close to the shore, do not swim too far out
  • Ask for advice from the beach lifeguards
  • Swim with a friend and stay together