Tribute by mother of sea-tragedy teenager

THE mother of a teenager who died after being caught in a riptide and swept out to sea off the Yorkshire coast has spoken of the heartbreak of losing her son.

James Willis, 17, and two 16-year-old girls were believed to have been using an inflatable dinghy when they got into difficulties in the water while on a day trip to Whitby on Wednesday.

James, who was originally from Stockton before moving to Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, had managed to clamber up a ladder on the wall of Whitby’s West Pier, but went back to help one of his friends and was hit by a number of waves.