A FISHERMAN has died after being swept into the sea at a river mouth as a high swell lashed the shore.

The 64-year-old was spotted, along with a 63-year-old, struggling against the waves at the mouth of the river Tees yesterday.

They were swept off the breakwater on the South Gare by a powerful wave. After the alarm was raised at around 3.40pm on Monday, a nearby police helicopter rushed to the scene.

The 63-year-old managed to make it ashore as the helicopter hovered above the stranded man as he battled the rough sea.

A Redcar RNLI lifeboat battled 10ft-high waves to reach the stranded man and pulled him aboard where he was given CPR.

An RAF Sea King helicopter was then dispatched to the scene and winched the casualty from the boat and flew him to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.

But today police confirmed the man died. A Redcar Coastguard spokesman described conditions yesterday as "extremely dangerous" to be fishing in.

Dave Cocks, of Redcar RNLI said: "The person at the South Gare, which is on the southern side of the Tees was seen to be washed off the breakwater by a member of the public.

"They called the police and the police helicopter happened to be close so it hovered over the gentleman until the lifeboat took him out the water.

"Volunteers from Hartlepool and Redcar RNLI did CPR on him. The casualty was taken to the Tees Dock nearby and an RAF Sea King from RAF Leconfield came and winched him from the boat."

The the 63-year-old was treated for hypothermia at James Cook University Hospital and was later discharged. Both men were from York.

A spokesman for Redcar Coastguard said: "At 15.42 we received a report from the CCTV control room to say that a male had been washed into the sea off the South Gare.

"We immediately passed that information on to the Humberside Coastguard.

Redcar lifeboats and Hartlepool lifeboats were launched as well as a police helicopter and a helicopter from RAF Leconfield which were sent to the scene.

"The Redcar lifeboat, through the police helicopter, spotted the person floating face down in the water and the Redcar lifeboat picked the casualty up out of the water and started working on him straight away.

"He was then airlifted to James Cook University Hospital where the crash team were waiting at the hospital once the helicopter arrived.

"At this moment in time the sea conditions around here terrible.

"There's a strong South East swell running at the moment. The swell where the guy was was about three metres.

"The lifeboat did a great job picking him out of the water in such a tricky situation."

A Cleveland Police spokesperson confirmed: "A 64-year-old man from York has died after he was washed into the sea at South Gare yesterday."