A MAN who was pulled from the sea on Bournemouth beach on Sunday after getting into difficulties has died.

Royal Bournemouth Hospital confirmed that the man, aged in his 50s according to paramedics, died in the early hours of Tuesday.

He had been rushed off the beach in an ambulance and taken to the trust in a serious condition, and was later stabilised and transferred into the intensive care unit.

However he remained in a critical condition.

No further details of his identity have been released by the emergency services as, despite the initial presence of police at the scene just east of Bournemouth Pier, the incident was classified as a medical emergency.

Earlier this week the Echo reported the comments of a former responder for South Central Ambulance Service who had been on the beach at the time and, with her husband, administered CPR to the victim for several minutes.

She expressed concern over the response time and equipment of lifeguards. The RNLI said that with the beaches so busy its guards did not always have a direct route to an incident.