Dad urged son, 14, not to swim in river just one week before he drowned in front of twin

A dad says he told his 14-year-old son "one week before" not to go in the riverwhere he tragically drowned.

Nischay Patel, 14, died after getting into difficulty while swimming with his twin Niyam near Beccles Quay in Suffolk on July 2. Dad Ketan Patel said he frequently told Nischay not to swim in the water there, which is a popular spot for locals to cool down in the summer.

He added that had spoken to him about the dangers of the water after seeing a post on Facebook highlighting the dangers of the site. "I told him one week before," said Mr Patel.

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Nischay’s mother, Prapti, added: “His dad explained that if anything happens, we can't do anything. If something happens somewhere else, we can help. But in water we can't do anything.

“I don’t allow him to go to that river. He wants to jump in but I know it's really deep so I explained to him that if you're stuck somewhere and can’t come out in a couple of minutes it's risky.”

Nischay had been at a dentist appointment after school on Wednesday with Niyam, before the pair returned to their home above the Tabers Newsagents on Market Street.

The boys - both Year 9 pupils at Sir John Leman school - then headed out to for a training session at Beccles Cricket Club, where they were junior members.

After a short while it is understood Nischay suggested they go to the quay and both headed to the riverside area. A group of youths had been seen playing and jumping from the A146 road bridge before the incident.

The alarm was raised by friends of the boys. Two girls, who they had been with, ran to the nearby Beccles Sailing Club to say their friend was drowning near the bridge.

Club member Liam Gentry jumped in to search for him, but was unable to find him while Mr Patel was also alerted and went to the scene. Mr Gentry said: “He asked me if I had found his son. I didn’t know what to say to him. He then let out a yelp I’ll never forget, and he fell to his knees.”

Nischay's body was eventually recovered from the water following a major search operation by the emergency services. The family said the teenager had long had a love of water, and would often spend up to an hour in the bath after completing his paper round for the newsagents.

His mother described him as "a really good boy", and his older sister, Ekta, said he was "very kind". His father added: “He’s helpful, he helps everyone - everyone.”

Nischay and his brother both went to Beccles Primary Academy before going to Sir John Leman. His death has devastated the town, with dozens of flowers and cards left both at the quay and outside the family shop.

Mr Patel - who moved from India to London in 2007 and then to Beccles in 2018 - said he had originally planned to hold his son's funeral in the capital. However, he said the family had been so touched by the community's response to his death that they were now considering holding it in Beccles.

He said: “Thank you to all the Beccles community, police and whoever was there, they helped a lot. All the people are very kind, nice and helpful." Richard Crozier, 80, a friend of the family who runs a neighbouring shop, said it had been a "terrible tragedy".

“Nischay was a special person. He had a capacity for friendship across generations," he said. “He wasn’t a boy of great numbers of words but he was a very tender-hearted lad.” Barry Darch, mayor of Beccles, said: “Beccles is a tight knit community and I’m sure the whole town is in grief.”