POLICE have said they don’t want to be seen as clamping down on fun as they issued a warning to youngsters in Cornwall about tombstoning.

Officers put out the warning while acknowledging that previously “generations of young people have done tombstoning at various freshwater and saltwater spots” in the St Austell and St Blazey areas.

A spokesperson said they didn’t want to be seen as the fun police but, unfortunately, people had lost their lives following recent water-related heatwave incidents in the UK .

“Tombstoning is inherently dangerous with the risk of serious injury and death from diving into shallow water, colliding with submerged hazards and getting into difficulty in the water due to currents and swell. There is also the strong risk of cold water shock,” said the spokesperson.