A HEARTBROKEN son described watching CCTV of his father's final moments as he went into the sea to try and save the family dog - and called for action to prevent further tragedies on the beach.
Gareth Jones died while trying to save his beloved cockapoo and his family want a safety investigation "before another tragedy" happens.
The 69-year-old went into the water to try and help Connie at Hove beach but had not realised that the pebbles had formed a "very sudden drop".
His son Robbie said that video footage showed his father being overwhelmed by the sea in less than a minute.
The 25-year-old said "I saw the CCTV, that was my choice, it was the last moments of my dad’s life, so I wanted to see it.
“There was no way my dad was going to come home without Connie.
“He went down the slope and very quickly realised Connie was a goner.
“The thing that shocked me the most was that in 55 seconds, a man that gave so much to business, so much to academia, goes just like that.
"I am still grappling with it."
When Robbie and a family friend visited the scene of his father's death in January this year, the so-called pebble shelf became apparent.
He explained how his father got into difficulty and called on the council to assess the safety of the beach.
Robbie said: “My dad walked towards the beach with the dog and then threw the ball towards the sea and at that point, he would not have been able to see the conditions.
“He realised quite early on that Connie was struggling and instantly went in after her.
“The problem was on that particular day, the drop of the shelf was very deep and very sudden and my dad would not have been able to see that.
“We believe that was a significant factor as to how that circumstance tragically ended.
“He probably thought he would be able to reach out and get the dog and come back to safety.
“The drop was about 15ft on that particular day, it was literally vertical.
“We only discovered it a few days later when we came back to the scene and we were disturbed.
“We were very conscious we don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Gareth went into the sea at a far-western point on the beach during a high tide of 6.2 metres.
At his inquest, senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley spoke of the “huge shelf” which “does catch people out”.
However, she noted that even without this drop, the state of the water that day would have made it hard to survive.
Robbie told The Argus of a heart-breaking find during his first visit to the scene.
“When I went to the beach, we found Connie’s ball and I bawled my eyes out,” he said.
“I knew it was hers as it was broken in the place where she had bitten it.
“We threw it back into the sea.”
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Winter storms and winds change the profile of the beach, often leaving a steep slope down to the sea.
Conservative councillor for Wish Ward, Robert Nemeth, is helping Robbie find a way of tackling the risks of pebbles shelves.
Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth is helping Robbie's family improve beach safety after the tragedy
He said: “It’s absolutely essential that a solution is found to what is clearly a huge problem.
"I’m going to be spending a lot of time over the coming months working with the council and other linked parties to offer answers.
"It’s clear that change must take place to avoid any further tragedy taking place.”
In spring each year, the council moves tonnes of pebbles where needed to restore the beach ready for the summer.
Deep shelving beaches and steep sudden drops happen naturally on shingle beaches and are common along our coast, the council says.
The section of the beach where Gareth lost his life, adjacent to Hove Deep Sea Anglers Club, has a history of coastal erosion and coastal flooding.
So, to protect the coast, large amounts of shingle is periodically artificially recycled in certain areas
However, the council said no such work took place on or around the date of the incident, so the cliff "would have been as a result of natural coastal processes".
A council spokesman said: “We were greatly saddened by the tragic incident involving Mr Jones, and our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.
“That section of the beach has a history of coastal erosion and coastal flooding. Shingle recycling forms a critical part of the coast protection in this area.
“Deep shelving beaches and steep sudden drops are a naturally occurring feature of shingle beaches and are common along our coast.
"No shingle recycling or beach profiling was undertaken on the beach adjacent to the deep sea anglers club in or around the date that Mr Gareth Jones tragically lost his life.
"The profile of the beach at this time would have been as a result of natural coastal processes.
“We already have in place a considerable number of beach safety signs. They have been designed in line with the RNLI’s beach safety sign guidelines, which are a nationally recognised standard for beach operators.
“During rough weather we also put up additional mobile warning banners.
“We are currently reviewing our beach safety signage to consider possible further options for ensuring public safety.
“However, we would first and foremost always appeal to residents and visitors not to go in the sea during difficult weather conditions.”
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