HOPE was slowly fading this afternoon for a missing teenager who was washed out to sea at Yarmouth yesterday.

HOPE was slowly fading this afternoon for a missing teenager who was washed out to sea at Yarmouth yesterday.

The 18-year-old was with his younger brother when the rubber dinghy they were in overturned in high winds off Britannia Pier by the Scroby Sands about 5.45pm.

During this afternoon volunteers from the Winterton coastguard team scoured Yarmouth's beach line in a desperate last ditch bid to find the missing teenager, who is from the Norwich area.

From 4.30am in the morning coastguard beach teams had also spent several hours combing the area but found no trace of the man.

The teenager's 10-year-old brother managed to get to shore safely and he was taken to the James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, where he is recovering from his ordeal.

Coastguards said the 18-year-old could not swim and it was believed that neither brother was wearing a life jacket when the high winds caused their dinghy to flip over on Sunday.

Mario Siano, of Yarmouth coastguard said: “We had been concerned throughout the day that inflatable toys would be blown out to sea with people on them in those strong off shore winds.

“Our thoughts are with the family of this young man.”

Last night five lifeboats, an RAF helicopter and two coastguard search teams scoured the sea and coastline for the 18-year-old.

Earlier on Sunday Caister's independent lifeboat crew rescued two holiday makers in an inflatable who got in trouble three quarters of a mile off shore in choppy waters at about 11.30am.