The mother of a Gloucestershire schoolboy who drowned after being swept away in the River Severn, last night said there were not enough warning signs.

Ten-year-old Thomas Haile, known as Tom, drowned last summer while playing on a dangerous stretch of the River Severn, an inquest heard yesterday.

Kingsholm Primary School pupil Tom, of Springfield, Hardwicke, was swept away at Arlingham, Gloucestershire, on July 27 last year.

Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore said he hoped Tom's death would serve as a warning to people during this summer.

After the hearing, in which an accidental death verdict was recorded, Tom's mother Jessica, 30, said there were still not enough warning signs at the site.

In a written statement read to the inquest, Tom's uncle Robert Lord said he had gone to the river with Tom in the late afternoon.

They picked up cousin Danny Webb, 16, from Arlingham on the way, he said.

Mr Lord, 24, went back to the car park at the Old Passage Inn and asked the boys to take his dog to the river's edge, he said.

He added Danny and Tom said they wanted to go for a splash around but told them not to go out too far and to be careful.

He said: "I was aware of the current being a lot stronger than usual," said Mr Lord.

He said his dog started to drift away so he put her in the shallows – but Tom and Danny were 20ft away and up to their waists.

He called them in and then saw them go under before both reappeared.

Danny kept trying to grab Tom, but when he did he kept going under too, said Mr Lord.

He inched forward towards them, but could feel the sand getting softer himself.

Suddenly he plunged off the shelf and could not touch the river bed, he said.

He said: "I knew that I could not help them while I was continuing to struggle."

He said he managed to get back on the bank and saw Danny coming out of the water.

Danny told the court he saw Tom going under water, swam up to grab him but could not keep hold of him.

He said: "Tom was shouting help.

"The current was too strong for me to grab him."

The inquest heard how police, fire crews, ambulances, the coast guard and the Severn Area Rescue Association (Sara) were involved in the hunt for Tom.

His body was discovered by two men at 9.45am on July 28 on mudflats near the Passage Inn.

A pathologist said his death was a result of drowning.

Geoffrey Dawe, of Sara, is an expert on the River Severn, which has the second highest tidal range in the world.

He said it was very easy to walk on to the banks from the shore at Arlingham and the tide rushing in could trap the unwary. He said: "I am very concerned about the lack of warning signs."

Recording the verdict, Mr Crickmore said both Mr Lord and Danny had made considerable efforts to bring Tom back to safety but the water had been too deep and the current too strong.

He said: "I think while it appeared to be safe to paddle and play about I think the sands shifted, and I think Tom was plunged into a hole that was created as a result of the shifting tide.

"Water is a great attraction to people and I hope Tom's death will be a warning to others that all watercourses should be respected."

After the verdict, Tom's mum Jessica said there were not enough warnings at the site.

She said: "There's no signs or anything. It looks lovely and peaceful but it's not."