A British businessman drowned when he ignored red warning flags to swim in the choppy sea on a beach in Thailand.

Keen grouse shooter Almaric Ghataoura, 43, from Letchworth, Hertfordshire, was on a trip with six friends to the upmarket island of Phuket when he swam in the treacherous conditions on Tuesday afternoon.

But police said that Almaric, who ran Major Army Supplies Ltd, had defied the safety warnings place along the beach due to the deadly seasonal tides and strong waves that lash the Andaman coast during the monsoon season from September to December.

Almaric was then dragged away from the shore at Karon Beach by a rip current that was so strong whirlpools could be seen in the surf.

A brave onlooker helped to pull Almaric back onto the sand and a lifeguard aided with CPR. Paramedics arrived and continued the process but Almaric could not be revived.

Police have now made a renewed warning to holidaymakers visiting the island - one of the most popular destinations in Asia - to avoid swimming in the sea until the end of the year.

Speaking today about the drowning, Lieutenant Colonel Eakkasak Fanwhan said: 'The sea along the coast of Phuket is very dangerous but even more than normal at this time of the year. There are hidden currents that can make people disorientated.

'It is important that everyone avoids going into the sea, even if they are experienced swimmers. There are red flags on the beach at the most dangerous areas.'

Police said that Almaric was taken to the Vachira Phuket Hospital and the British Embassy in Bangkok was informed of his death.

Colonel Khundet Na Nong Khai, Superintendent of the Karon Police Station, added: 'The incident happened at around 4:10 pm.

'The victim came with a group of six or seven tourists, but went to play in the water at the beach with two other friends. One of them went to play in the water with him, while the other was on the beach. He was the only one who had difficulties.

'The friend on the beach raised the alarm and a lifeguard helped.

'The death happened at a location where there are strong rip currents and whirlpools. Karon Beach and Kata Beach are very dangerous and there are red flags warning that swimming is prohibited.

'The victim may not have noticed the flags or he may have intentionally disobeyed the warnings before he went to play. He was then sucked into the channel and could not cope with the strength of the current.

'When the police officers arrived at the scene, paramedics were already performing CPR. He was taken to hospital but later died.'

Phuket is a large island on the western coast of Thailand bordering the Andaman Sea, which stretches into the Bay of Bengal towards India.

Dozens of tourists drown every year - even in relatively calm conditions - when they swim along the notoriously dangerous coastline. During the annual monsoon season, the conditions are deadly.

In June this year, Belgian tourist Allan Deraut Luvovadio, 28, from Chatelet, drowned in Phuket.

A few days earlier, U.S. veteran James Everett du Bois, 49, was swimming with his family at Nai Harn Beach on the same island when he was swept away by a powerful current.

While in the same month, James Edmond Newman, 44, from New York, and his Thai girlfriend Waranya Chanphai, 48, from Surin province, were found drowned at Mai Khao Beach in Phuket amid rough weather.