Nottingham man died in Great Yarmouth in River Bure

Callum Bell, who was in his 50s, was on the stern of the vessel, which had moored up at Great Yarmouth, when he accidentally slipped into the water.

Other family members were on board the 44ft Brinks Lullaby and heard the sound of the fall.

They went to investigate but by the time they reached the stern Mr Bell had been swept far from the boat and out of reach.

The scene of the incident where a man died after entering the river from moored boat at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

"We were all sitting inside the boat when it happened," one of his relatives, who asked not to be named, said.

"He must've fallen somehow. There aren't any barriers on the back of the boat to prevent someone from falling.

"Before we knew it the current had pulled him so far away, just as it was getting darker too."

The family called the emergency services who were able to retrieve Mr Bell from the water.

However, he was pronounced dead at the scene, a short time later.

Police forensics officer takes some photographs of the moored boat at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

The family said they have been left "heartbroken".

Mr Bell, from Nottinghamshire, is the fourth person to die in Norfolk waters in the space of just four days.

On Friday night, a man in his 20s died on Wroxham Broad, while the body of a man in his 30s was found in the river Wensum, near Norwich, on Tuesday morning. Both men had been swimming.

A fourth tragedy saw a man in his 70s die while swimming off Brancaster beach on Saturday afternoon.

Police at the scene of the incident where a man died after entering the river from moored boat at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

The deaths have prompted water safety groups to urge people to take extra care.

The Yarmouth incident happened at about 9pm on Tuesday night on a stretch of river, close to the mouth of the Bure, which is notorious among boaters.

It is known for its extremely strong currents, which makes it difficult to navigate vessels and extremely dangerous for anyone who falls in.

The scene, near North River Road, is close to where another tragedy occurred, in 2020, when mother-of-three Laura Perry, a holidaymaker from London, died after falling from the back of her hire boat as it was being moored up.

Diane Watson saw the police at the scene of the boat incident at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

One resident who lives opposite, Diane Watson, described the activity on Tuesday evening, as the emergency services descended on the area.

“It was like a scene from casualty down here. It was awful," she said.

“We saw so many blue lights flashing it was crazy, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“It is such an awful situation,” she said.

“It’s just so sad that all these people have been dying in the river recently and something should be done to prevent more deaths."

Police at the scene of the incident where a man died after entering the river from moored boat at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

Mr Bell's family said there should be more safety precautions in place at moorings to prevent future tragedies.

They had hired the boat from Barnes Brinkcraft, which is based in Hoveton.

The company has been approached for comment.