Six people die in water-related incidents during heatwave
Police believe a body recovered from the River Ribble in Lancashire is that of a 12-year-old boy who went missing while swimming with friends. The boy got into difficulty at approximately 14:00 BST on Tuesday in Ribchester. In total, at least five youngsters and a man in his 60s have died in water-related incidents across England during the ongoing heatwave.
Search and Recovery Operations
Lancashire Police and fire crews with underwater units launched a major search of the River Ribble area after the boy was reported missing. A body was recovered from the water at approximately 19:50 BST on Tuesday. Formal identification has not yet taken place, but Lancashire Police stated: "We believe it to be the body of the missing boy."
A local resident, Ann-Marie Ruddock, who has lived in Ribchester since 1991, told BBC North West Tonight that the area is a "hotspot" for children and tends to attract visitors from outside the area who come to swim. "Locals are well aware of the dangers of the river and they tend to keep away from it. It's nightmare scenario," she said.
Other Fatalities Across England
Five other water-related deaths have been reported during the heatwave period. On Bank Holiday Monday, a 13-year-old boy named locally as Reco Puttock was pronounced dead after being pulled from Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The body of a teenage girl was recovered from Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire, and the body of a teenage boy was recovered from a lake in Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Also on Monday, a man in his 60s died after running into the sea to help two relatives who had gotten into difficulty at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall, according to police. At Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln, Declan Sawyer, 15, was found dead after emergency crews responded to reports of him getting into difficulty at approximately 14:30 on Sunday.
In Cheshire, emergency services have been searching for a teenage boy reported missing in Pickmere Lake, between Knutsford and Northwich.
Temperature Records and Heat Alerts
Some areas of London recorded 35°C heat on Tuesday, breaking the record set on Monday for the hottest May day. Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional temperature of 35.1°C, surpassing Monday's 34.8°C record-high at the same location. Wales also broke May records for a consecutive day, with provisional temperatures reaching 32.3°C at Cardiff's Bute Park, exceeding Monday's 32.2°C at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire.
Temperatures are expected to remain within the heatwave threshold in parts of Wales, the West Country, and south-west England. Wednesday brings a reprieve from the record-breaking temperatures, as cooler air moves over northern and eastern areas of England.
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber and yellow heat-health alerts for many areas of the UK on Tuesday, lasting until 17:00 BST on Thursday. According to the UKHSA, these alert types mean "water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold‑water shock and drowning."
Safety Recommendations and Data
A leading network for drowning prevention has recommended swimming in supervised locations with lifeguards where possible and entering the water slowly to reduce the risk of cold-water shock. Among its other safety recommendations, the network advises that if in trouble in water, people should "try to float on their backs until feeling calm and either wait for rescue or swim to safety if they can."
Newly released figures from the National Water Safety Forum show more accidental drowning deaths occurred inland than on the coast for the seventh consecutive year in 2025. The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) also issued a warning following the recent deaths, stating that "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase" in such incidents.
Context
The incident in Ribchester follows a pattern of water-related fatalities during periods of high temperatures. In similar cases, multiple drownings occurred during a 2022 UK heatwave, prompting calls for increased public awareness of cold-water shock and the risks of swimming in unsupervised open water.