DAY trippers and dog walkers were back on the beach in Scarborough yesterday, enjoying the spring sunshine and bracing sea air.

They were joined by yellow-jacketed search teams, combing the beach for any sign of 13-year-old Aimee Greenwood, who was still missing, presumed dead, last night.

As they searched for the teenager, there was little to be seen of the mountainous seas that had washed over the town's North Bay only hours before, sweeping Kim Barrett and her two children to their deaths.

But as the heavy spring tide came in late in the afternoon, crashing on the sea wall and the rocks below, it was clear they had been in grave danger on the slipway to the beach.

Visitors and residents of Scarborough were yesterday saddened by the loss of young life.

Many people watched the rescue operation from the cliffs above, some came to view the scene, and others simply stood and stared out to sea.

But as the day wore on, many people were starting to question why the youngsters had been on the slipway at all.

The area is a well-known danger spot and signs warning of the heavy seas appear on the railings every 100 yards.

The location, coupled with the spring tide, made the conditions even more treacherous on Sunday afternoon, and debris from Sunday night's battering still littered Royal Albert Drive and Marine Drive yesterday.

Lynda Ford, 53, phoned the emergency services on Sunday. She works in the Oasis Cafe, only yards from where the tragedy unfolded.

She said people did not pay enough attention to the warning signs, and that the slipway was notorious for children playing dangerous wave-dodging games. She said: "I do not know what they were doing, but they should not have been anywhere near that slipway.

"The waves were about 20ft high and there should be a gate across the slipway preventing people from going down there.

"It is such an awful, awful tragedy, but you could see it was going to happen some time.

"The sea was heavy and the waves were lashing right across the road, so much so that we had to close the cafe.

"Last week there was a man walking along the promenade with a pushchair, hand-in-hand with two young girls. A huge wave came over the top and knocked the pushchair out of his hands.

"The girls were soaked, but he just shrugged his shoulders and carried on walking."

May Raine, who has lived in Scarborough all her life, said she had been out on Sunday afternoon and had seen people playing on the slipway all day, even when the tide was coming in.

She said: "It does not matter how many notices they put up about the high tides, people will still go on the slipway."

Colin Charles, who was walking his dog along the front yesterday, said: "It is a tragedy, but people should respect the sea and read the warning signs.

"If you are caught in a big wave on that slipway, you have no chance."

The sea was so heavy on Sunday afternoon that the waves damaged the town's main lifeboat, tearing railings off the stern. Yesterday, the inshore lifeboat was deployed instead, with crews scouring the water to find Aimee's body.

Fred Normandale, the operations manager for Scarborough Lifeboat, said many people did not realise how dangerous the sea could be.

He said: "Even just a few inches of water on those slipways can be overwhelming. It just shows the power of the waves."