Two men are believed to be missing off the Devon coast after reports of swimmers in difficulty, police have said.

Devon and Cornwall Police were called at 10:25 GMT to the beach at Budleigh Salterton after concern was raised for people in the water, prompting a significant emergency response which was called off at 17:00.

A number of people were safely brought back to shore and were checked either by paramedics at the scene or taken to hospital as a precaution, the force confirmed.

It said the men – one aged in their 40s and the other in their 60s – were not located during the search and remained missing, with their families having been informed of the developments.

“A significant amount of emergency service personnel were deployed to the incident and we ask that people do not enter the water for public safety reasons,” the force added in a statement.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay, plus coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed wing aircraft were sent to the scene to assist, alongside police and ambulance service.

“Searches have continued throughout the day to find two men believed to still be in the water. After extensive shoreline and offshore searches, the coastguard part of the search was stood down at 5pm,” it added.

Police had urged members of the public not to enter the water along this stretch of coast and asked people not to participate in a Christmas Day swim at Exmouth while emergency services responded to the incident at Budleigh Salterton.

On Wednesday, organisers of some Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall postponed or cancelled events due to a yellow weather warning for wind.

BBC journalist Phillip Stoneman has been a visitor to Budleigh for the swim for the past few years.

He said: “As soon as we arrived you could tell that the sea was the roughest it’s been and that anyone going in would need to be a lot more cautious than usual.”

He added: “The waves swept some people exiting the sea off their feet and other swimmers were helping them out.”

He said the RNLI boat was out in the water at the time and hundreds of people were either on the beach or in the water.

Devon and Cornwall Police Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar said: “Today, emergency services have been responding to a truly tragic incident in Budleigh Salterton.

“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident.

“The local community will have seen a significant amount of emergency services in the area throughout the day as extensive enquiries have been ongoing.

“As dark falls, a number of these searches have been stood down, with some police enquiries on land continuing this evening.

“There have been weather warnings in place this week and a number of official and unofficial swims have already been cancelled.

“While there are no official warnings in place for tomorrow, we urge anyone with plans to go swimming in the sea on Boxing Day not to.”