A woman drowned in the sea after saving her grandchild from the same fate, an inquest has heard.

Safety measures on Dymchurch beach have been called into question after Denise Scarborough got into difficulty while trying to save her family.

The heroic gran, 60, had been walking along the promenade with her step daughter and two grandchildren on Thursday, August 28, when her grandaughter slipped on steps leading into the sea and fell in, instantly struggling in the water.

Immediately, the young girl's mother and older brother jumped in after her – but both soon got into difficulty themselves.

Seeing all three of them in distress, Ms Scarborough jumped in after them, managing to reach her grandson to pull him out of harms way and allowing him to get to safety.

However, while her other two family members also managed to get out safely, the retired security guard got into difficulty herself.

An inquest into her death heard that she remained in the water for around 10 minutes more before a passer by managed to retrieve her.

The passer by in question, who asked to remain nameless, told KentOnline that he had arrived at the scene to see the family and other eyewitnesses "waving frantically", and a shape out in the water.

Realising what had happened, he dove into the water and managed to retrive the 60-year-old Erith resident and pull her back to the beach.

Finding her unresponsive, he then began CPR while emergency services were on their way to the scene.

"I managed to get her onto the beach, there was another man there who I think witnessed the incident but said he couldn't jump in because he had children with him and was worried about being swept away as well," he said.

"I was scared, but I knew I couldn't let her just float away without trying to save her. I can't help but think that if I had been 15 minutes earlier, I could have made a difference."

Emergency services including police, the coastguard and ambulance services were called, but paramedics were unable to revive Ms Scarborough who was declared dead at the scene.

The inquest, held at Walsall County Court near Birmingham, heard that questions had been raised over safety measures on the promenade following the tragic incident.

Alastair Clifford, a representative for Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC), revealed that while there were six life rings on the promenade, four of them were in the "more touristy" area.

When Ms Scarborough and her family had entered the water, the nearest of these had been a mile away, he revealed.

Assistant Coroner Kate Thomas said that several safety issues had been flagged up, including not only the lack of a ring at a "clearly dangerous" point on the beach, but also a lack of signage informing people as to where the nearest safety equipment was.

"The fact that all four family members went into the water and got into difficulty is indicative of the water being dangerous there," she explained.

"We have heard that the placement of life rings is based on risk, but these steps themselves appear inviting.

"Despite this, for a considerable part of the promenade there does not appear to be any life-saving equipment at all.

"Additionally, there is no point in having life saving equipment if someone doesn't know where it is and then can't find it."

Mr Clifford responded to say a life ring had now been placed near the spot where the incident happened, and that the council was currently undergoing a review into its signage placements, with new signs planned for before the summer season.

Ms Thomas called for more evidence from the council on the safety measures before she considered making a recommendation to prevent future loss of life.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, she said: "I would like to pass on my most sincere condolences to the family. These are the most tragic of circumstances."