A swimmer is feared to have drowned after being swept out to sea by strong currents near Scheveningen harbour.

Three other people were rescued from the water and taken to hospital after getting into difficulties at around 8.30pm on Sunday.

One witness told Omroep West that two boys emerged from the water with their legs bleeding after they tried to save their fellow swimmer.

“The water was so rough, absolutely treacherous,” she said. “The boys barely survived it.”

Helicopters and boats searched the area around Zuidelijk Havenhoofd until around 10pm, but were unable to locate the missing man.

A fire service spokesman said a smaller scale search was continuing on Monday to try to recover the swimmer’s body.

“It’s not the case that we have stopped searching altogether, because we still have a missing person,” the spokesman said. “But no large search operations will be carried out today.”