A Braintree mother-of-three has told how she tried in vain to save her husband as he swam in a Lake District beauty spot.

Raymond Didcock, 46, had been sailing on Lake Ullswater in an inflatable dinghy with his teenage daughter and a friend when tragedy struck.

He had been swimming and had started treading water when he started getting into difficulties.

Mr Didcock's wife, Anna, was watching from the shore with her four-year-old daughter and the family dog, Tob.

She realised something was wrong and dived into the lake, near Penrith and swam 20 yards to reach him.

She managed to reach him but he stopped moving.

Mrs Didcock said: "He was under the water and wasn't conscious. I realised I would have to let go because he would have pulled me down."

More than two hours later Mr Didcock, a bus mechanic at Harlow, was found by rescuers at the bottom of the lake in seven metre deep water.

A post mortem after Thursday's incident later found he had drowned.

Mrs Didcock of Appletree Walk, said: "We don't know what happened but we think the cold may have got to him. The water was cold and it got deep very quickly

"He had swum in the lake before so it was not a moment of madness. There were other people swimming."

Mrs Didcock, who said her husband was a strong swimmer, is now back at home being comforted by family members

Published Thursday July 29, 2004

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