HARWICH Haven Authority says it is "delighted" to be funding a swimming safety programme for youngsters.

The free Swim Safe sessions will take place each day on Dovercourt Bay Beach between July 30 and August 3.

Everyone between the ages of 7 and 14 years old, who can swim 25 metres unaided, is welcome to take part.

The sessions are focused on teaching children about open water safety, how to stay safe and what to do if they get into difficulty.

Neil Glendinning, Harwich Haven Authority's chief executive, said:“When we heard that the Swim Safe programme was unlikely to return to Dovercourt Bay in 2019 we were very keen that is went ahead.

"As the East of England’s largest trust port our organisational remit is to ensure safety of navigation for vessels within our 150 square mile area of jurisdiction.

"The Swim Safe programme very much aligns to our remit and we will talking about our involvement with the project during the shipping industry’s Maritime Safety Week.

“I am convinced that the work Swim England and the RNLI are doing to educate young people through this programme will potentially save many lives and all children should have the opportunity to access the programme.”

Felicity Bramford, Swim Safe area coordinator, added: “Harwich Haven Authority has been vital in bringing these sessions back to Dovercourt this summer.

“Their generous donation has allowed us to provide almost 1,000 spaces for children in the local area to take part.

"This is an increase in 300 spaces compared to last summer, meaning even more children are able to access a session in Dovercourt this year.

“Without the support of the authority we simply couldn’t provide this number of sessions, so we are very grateful for their support.”