Haydn Griffiths was last seen swimming off New Brighton, Wirral, at around 10.30pm on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said he was wearing dark shorts and was trying to swim towards the wind turbines in the Derby Pool area. He said: “An extensive search of the river was carried out last night and today by the Maritime and Coastguard Service but Haydn has not been found and the search has now been suspended. “Haydn is white, 6 feet 1 inch tall, athletic build, with short blond hair and blue eyes.” Meanwhile, searches for a swimmer who was reported missing at sea near Clacton Pier in Essex on Tuesday have since scaled back. At least 13 people have died in Britain while swimming during the record-breaking heatwave, cabinet minister Keith Malthouse told parliament on Wednesday. Britain recorded a new record temperature of 40.3C (104.5F) in central England on Tuesday, 34 places above the previous high of 38.7C (101.7F) set in 2019. At least 41 properties were destroyed in London and more than a dozen elsewhere as scorching weather sparked bushfires. Anyone who has seen Mr Griffiths or has any information should contact police by calling 101, quoting reference number 22000518807.
