A British mother who died while rescuing her children after they were dragged away by sea currents in the Bahamas was a "hero", her husband has said.

Leanne Gregory, 36, died after attempting to save her two sons while snorkelling in the Caribbean islands.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said officers on the island of Bimini launched an enquiry into the sudden death of a 36-year-old British woman on Tuesday.

The force said they believed the woman was snorkelling alongside her husband and two young sons near the southern tip of the island when strong currents swept both children away.

In an effort to rescue her sons, "the woman was also swept away", police confirmed.

The children were subsequently pulled to safety.

In a GoFundMe post, Nathan Gregory wrote that his wife, from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire , was "sadly taken from us after saving my sons life in a rip tide".

He added: "She held him until he was rescued but didn’t have the energy to save herself, after a freak wave swept the boat away from…