Thames Coastguard today warned children jumping from a pier that they could kill themselves.

It follows an incident when a 15-year-old boy was plucked from the water after jumping off Clacton Pier.

The boy jumped off near the Clacton lifeboat house but fortunately a member of Clacton lifeboat spotted the boy and contacted the coastguard.

He was picked up by the coastguard launch and taken to hospital after inhaling water.

A Thames Coastguard spokeswoman said since fencing had been put up on part of the pier youngsters were now moving further up towards the lifeboat house.

She added if the coastguard launch had not been alerted so quickly the boy could have drowned.

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