INQUEST proceedings were opened this week into the death of a former Wellington man who disappeared on Christmas Day while swimming off an East Devon beach.

Sixty-four-year-old Matthew Raymond Upham was one of two people believed to have drowned when a traditional community festive dip in the sea in Budleigh Salterton turned to tragedy.

Hundreds of people went into the water on Christmas morning just as conditions deteriorated as a storm passed nearby and many found themselves in difficulty.

Mr Upham and a second man, since named as Tom Johnson, aged 47, from Chelmsford, Essex, were believed to have been trying to help a woman in difficulty in the rough seas when they were last seen.

Mr Johnson, a PE teacher and father of two children, and Mr Upham were found separately washed ashore last month and just five days apart on the coast near Exmouth.

Many similar Christmas community swims around the Westcountry were cancelled amid a yellow weather alert for unusually strong winds and freezing temperatures, although Budleigh Salterton was just outside the warning zone.

Devon area coroner Nicholas Lane, sitting in Exeter Coroner’s Court on Monday (February 16), was presented with evidence of identification and heard an indication of Mr Upham’s cause of death before adjourning the hearing until a date to be confirmed.

Mr Upham’s date of death was given as December 25.

He is the brother of former Wellington motorcycle dealer Mark Upham, who had a showroom in North Street.

Matthew Upham ran an antiques business in the Kings Road, London, but he had relocated with his partner James Upham to the East Devon seaside town after 40 years.

He was said to be a strong swimmer and was known to swim in the sea almost every day.