A group of swimmers in their 50s and 60s will appreciate their piping hot Christmas dinners more than most - they will have just climbed out of the freezing sea.

Brian Cooper, 66, of Inverness Avenue, Westcliff, and about ten friends plan to take a dip off Westcliff beach on Christmas Day.

The senior swimmers, who call themselves the Beach Bums, take to the body-numbing waters every Christmas.

Mr Cooper said: "We have been doing it for about ten years. It's very cold but we do it for the sheer joy, I suppose. It is certainly sheer joy when you come out. "We are all in our 50s and 60s. I think you should carry on doing this sort of thing as long as you can."

Very few people will have spotted the Beach Bums last Christmas because they took the plunge at about 7.30am.

But the tide is set to come in a little later this year, so Mr Cooper is expecting a few more startled passers-by when they have a paddle at about 11am.

The Beach Bums get together once or twice a year for the sole purpose of going for an ice-cold swim.