A Christian minister has come under fire after performing baptism on children along a beach in southern England despite extreme winds and strong waves.
A group of 25 people all dressed in white gathered at the south coast at Brighton beach on Easter Monday. The unidentified minister baptised youngsters and adults in the English Channel as storm Katie was battering the beach, the New York Daily News reported.
Photographer James Taylor managed to take pictures of the event while he was reportedly walking along the seafront.
"I went for a morning stroll along Brighton beach and stumbled across these events. It was incredibly windy—it was just during the tail-end of Storm Katie,'' he said.
"I was taking shelter and the reportage photographer in me urged me to get my camera out and I started taking snaps.''
According to the 36-year old photographer, there were around 25 people holding some church service, and that he witnessed three children and three adults being baptised.
He said he was shocked at the event unfolding before him."They were taking children down to the shoreline—it was quite hairy with the wind.''
"There were moments when everybody had to run back up the beach because these huge waves were crashing right next to them—you can never really tell when a big wave is going to crash.''
Reports said that seafront officers and Brighton lifeboat station were also aware of the unfolding event.
Although the church was able to successfully complete the baptism, Brighton and Hove City Council seafront manager Chris Ingall warned others of the risky practice.
"Once you go in you aren't coming out of that sea on days like Monday," he said. "It is completely unforgiving and very difficult to get out of the water."
Storm Katie pummelled the region over the weekend leaving more than 80,000 people without power in England.
It also delayed hundreds of flights and reached peak winds of 105 mph in the Isle of Wight, according to AccuWeather.
