A FAMILY have spoken of their grief after a day out in Scarborough ended in tragedy when a mother and her two children were swept out to sea and drowned.

The family of Kim Barrett, 33, her daughter Aimee, 13, and son Luke, 11, made a tearful pilgrimage to the spot on the Royal Albert Drive where Ms Barrett and her children were washed into mountainous waves off the slipway in the North Bay on Sunday.

As the family laid flowers, coastguards continued searching the shoreline for the body of Aimee.

Yesterday, they released a police statement, in which they described Ms Barrett as a very thoughtful and caring mother, daughter and sister who thought the world of her children and would always put her family's needs before her own.

The statement said Luke and Aimee were fun-loving children with a bright future and so much to look forward to. They were bubbly and happy children and they always had a smile for everyone.

Ms Barrett lived with her family at Spen Bank, West Park, Leeds.

They and Ms Barrett's boyfriend, Jason Johnson, 34, of Horsforth, had been walking on the promenade some 100 yards from the newly-built £34m sea defences.

There is speculation that had the sea wall been in place near the slipway, the family would have survived because they could have climbed onto the rock armour which has been built, along with concrete acropodes, along the Marine Drive and Castle Headland to protect the area from the ravages of the North Sea.

Ms Barrett, who worked for a loan collection company in Leeds, and Luke were airlifted by an Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconfield, but despite a two-mile mercy dash across Scarborough, they were found to be dead on arrival at the resort's general hospital.

A widespread air and sea search was carried out until darkness fell on Sunday night, and resumed on Monday, but no trace was found of Aimee.

Senior coastguard Dave Warburton said: "We accept we are now looking for a body because Aimee could not have survived in those conditions."

The tragedy happened at the spot where, in 1992, a woman was washed out to sea and drowned when she plunged into the water to save her dog.

A schoolboy died some 18 years ago when he was swept off his feet by a heavy wave, but his body was never found.

Mr Johnson and a passer-by dived into the sea in a desperate bid to save Ms Barrett and the children. But the two men had to abandon their attempts to save Ms Barrett, Luke and Aimee when they were swept out some 50 yards by the heavy sea.

Fishermen said the waves were the highest seen for a long time, and were what are known locally as spring tides.

It is thought that Luke and Aimee, together with Alec Johnson, eight, Mr Johnson's own son, had been playing on the slipway. All three children were due to be confirmed at their local church in Leeds in May.

Just a few yards from the scene are notices warning "Danger from heavy seas", which were put up after the previous tragedies. The slipway and seawall still have iron railings, unlike the remainder of the Royal Albert and Marine Drives, where they have been removed and the new seawall built to improve safety in the wake of projected rising tides due to climate change.

Mr Warburton said Mr Johnson, and the stranger who went in with him, had been "extremely brave" because they had put their own lives at risk.

The crew of Scarborough lifeboat said the vessel had been damaged by the power of the waves. Fred Normandale, the lifeboat operations manager, said "Everyone was distressed by the tragedy because the casualties would have only been able to survive a very few minutes in the water. It takes just a wave of six inches to knock you off your feet. On Sunday the waves were 20ft high."

A Scarborough council spokesman said the dangers of the sea were clearly signposted along the drive. "We take the safety of our visitors very seriously. Investigations are underway into the tragedy."

The North Yorkshire coroner Michael Oakley is expected to open an inquest this week and adjourn it for further inquiries to be made.

Chief Inspector Ken Gill said the full-scale search had been called off, and it would now be left to coastguards to carry out regular patrols of the beach in the hope of finding Aimee's body.

Updated: 10:18 Wednesday, March 16, 2005