The body of a 15-year-old boy has been pulled from a reservoir near Manchester – the seventh drowning in Britain's record-breaking June heatwave. Greater Manchester police were called to Cowbury reservoir in Stalybridge at about 6.30pm on Saturday after reports of a boy getting into difficulty. His body was recovered that evening, and his family have been informed. Officers have ruled out suspicious circumstances.
At least seven people have now died in water-related incidents during temperatures that reached a provisional 37.3C (99.1F) in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on Friday – the third consecutive day of broken records. Earlier on Saturday, a 55-year-old woman died after entering a pool at Sandwell Valley Country Park in West Bromwich, and a man's body was pulled from the River Severn in Shrewsbury. In Southampton, divers found the body of a missing 15-year-old schoolboy at Testwood Lakes nature reserve. Tributes poured in for 13-year-old Hayden Jones-Powell, whose body was recovered from Meynell Lake in Lancashire. His parents said: 'We want him to be remembered by his big smile. His love of animals, his passion towards football and being outside.' A 69-year-old man died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Clacton, and a 50-year-old man was pronounced dead at Aberavon beach in Wales.
“Body of a 15-year-old boy recovered from a Manchester reservoir as UK heatwave drowning toll reaches seven.”
The London ambulance service said Friday was the busiest day in its history, with demand higher than during the peak of the Covid pandemic and May's heatwave. A spokesperson said: 'The service also responded to 688 category 1 emergencies – another record for a single day.'
'We remind the public to please avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds,' said Ch Insp Helen Baxter. 'We all want to enjoy the warm weather – please make sure you do so in a safe way.' Dr Heather Massey, an associate professor in extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth, warned that open water can remain dangerously cold even when air temperatures soar, triggering an involuntary gasp reflex and rapid breathing. The deaths follow 15 water-related fatalities during a hot spell in May.