26 May 2026

Three teenagers have died in separate incidents at beauty spots across England as temperatures reached record highs on Bank Holiday Monday.

Police in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Warwickshire have confirmed the deaths of two teenage boys and a teenage girl, who were all pulled from open water.

The deaths came after a 15-year-old boy drowned in a lake near Lincoln on Sunday. His family have urged others to be aware of the dangers of water.

Much of England and Wales is in an official heatwave, with amber and yellow heat-health alerts issued for many areas by the UK Health Security Agency.

In Halifax, West Yorkshire Police was called to Leadbeater Dam on moorland off Lumb Lane at about 15:20 BST to reports a teenage boy had got into difficulty in the water.

The 13-year-old boy, named locally as Reco Puttock, was removed from the reservoir and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the force said.

Officers said investigations were continuing, adding they did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances.

She was pronounced dead at the scene after her body was recovered at about 19:20 BST, Warwickshire Police said.

An investigation into the circumstances had begun, the force added, and people had been urged to avoid speculating about what happened.

A family member, who did not wish to be identified, told the BBC the girl was a 16-year-old pupil at Kingsbury School and she could not swim.

They said the incident had happened in the River Tame, which runs along the eastern edge of the park, and a teenage boy had tried to rescue the girl.

In Rotherham, police recovered the body of a teenage boy from a lake in Rother Valley Country Park following a search and rescue operation.

South Yorkshire Police were called to the park at 18:50 BST to reports that a teenage boy had entered the water and had not been seen getting out.

Police officers, as well as crews from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, took part in a specialist search operation before the boy's body was found in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The force said: "Whilst formal identification is yet to take place, the boy's family has been informed and is being supported by officers."

Earlier Lancashire Police confirmed that a 12-year-old boy reported missing in the River Ribble at Ribchester on Tuesday afternoon had been found dead.

He had got into difficulties while swimming with friends and his body was recovered just before 20:00 BST.

The incident happened at about 15:50 BST on Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the man, who lived locally, suffered a cardiac arrest after reportedly entering the water to assist two family members, who were brought to safety by other people at the beach.

The spate of water-related deaths follow the drowning of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln on Sunday.

Emergency crews were called to reports of the boy getting into difficulty at about 14:30 BST on Sunday.

He was later recovered from the water following a search and rescue operation.

Declan's father Carl said he was "very much loved by his friends and family, and will be missed dearly by many".

"With his tragic and unexpected passing on Sunday at Swanholme Lakes, we would like to raise awareness about children playing near any rivers or lakes in the hot weather," he added.

"Please can all parents, friends and family make their children aware of the dangers surrounding water."

The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) has issued a warning following the deaths, saying that "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings".

The RLSS warned that water temperatures remain very cold despite increased air temperatures, and that cold water shock can make swimming difficult and increase the difficulty in getting out of the water.

Anyone who sees someone in an emergency in the water should call 999, stay out of the water themselves and throw them something that floats, such as a plastic water bottle or football, for them to hold onto and stay afloat while help is on the way, the RLSS added.

He said: "With these hot temperatures, I know that people are drawn to go and cool down and have fun.

"But people losing their life in open water when they're just going to have fun, it's just totally unnecessary, it's totally preventable."

Now a campaigner for water safety, Haycock warned that "cold shock" in open water was one of the biggest dangers.

"On a hot day like today it can seem appealing, but the dangers are there for everybody and it's irrelevant whether you can swim or not," he said.

"So please, please, please stay out of open water. The lifeguards aren't there at these places...so inevitably things do go wrong."

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