A 55-year-old woman's body has been found in a pool near Birmingham, bringing the total number of people who have drowned in the UK during the heatwave to six.

West Midlands Police said on Saturday evening that the body of a woman had been recovered from Swan Pool in Sandwell Valley Country Park after she went missing in the water just after 4:30pm.

The force said: 'Sadly, nothing could be done to save her and she was confirmed deceased at the scene. Our thoughts are with her family at this tragic time.

'Her death is not being treated as suspicious at this time and we will be liaising with the coroner.'

Another death was that of Brody Leach, whose body was recovered from the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on Saturday morning.

West Mercia Police said the 22-year-old was last seen alive swimming in the river at about 4.10am on Friday when he apparently got into trouble.

Meanwhile, officers searching for a missing 15-year-old boy last seen in the water at Testwood Lakes near Southampton have found a body, Hampshire Police said on Saturday.

'The boy's family have been informed and formal identification has taken place. His family are being supported by specially-trained officers,' the force added.

Essex Police has also confirmed the death of a 69-year-old man in Clacton.

Officers said they were called to a medical emergency in Marine Parade East at just after 11am on Friday after reports of a man in difficulty in the sea.

The force said: 'Officers, paramedics, the fire service and coastguard all attended. Sadly, despite colleagues' best efforts, a 69-year-old man died at the scene.'

The four deaths bring the total number of water-related fatalities during the recent heatwave to six after a 50-year-old man was pronounced dead on Wednesday afternoon at Aberavon beach on the south coast of Wales.

Earlier, police said they had recovered the body of a teenage boy from a lake in Syston, Leicestershire, after he went into the water on Thursday.

The boy was later named locally as Hayden Jones-Powell, 13. 

A crowdfunder to help pay for Hayden's funeral has now been launched by his aunt Charlotte Powell. 

She wrote: 'Hayden was a cheeky, gorgeous, 13-year-old boy. He supported West Brom Albion, loved animals, was a great friend and had everything in life going for him. Without warning he was taken from us on June 25. 

'Hayden was like any other teenage boy who just went to the lake to paddle with his friends. He wanted to cool from the heat and enjoy the cool water; getting some respite from the heatwave after school.

'Tragically, Hayden got into trouble and he never made it home to his loving family consisting of a dad, two older brothers, an older sister and his mum. Hayden was such a beautiful, loving soul and we would like to be able to give him a send off befitting for him.'

During the May heatwave, at least 15 people, the majority of whom were children, drowned whilst swimming in open water.

It prompted widespread warnings about the dangers of trying to cool off with a swim in the sea, lake or river, as the water is often much colder than expected and can cause cold water shock syndrome that can prove fatal.

During the heatwave of July 2022, when Britain experienced its hottest summer on record and temperatures hit 40C, 19 people drowned in just four days. 

The majority (61 per cent) of drownings in England last year occurred at inland locations such as rivers, reservoirs, lakes and canals.

And 63 per cent of all accidental drownings occurred while the person was taking part in a recreational activity such as boating, sailing, swimming, or water sports. 

Meanwhile, in France, which is enduring the western Europe’s hot spell, drowning deaths linked to the heatwave have reached 55 since Thursday last week. 

Within the last 24 hours alone, Paris recorded 109 heat deaths in the city.

The situation is equally grim in Spain, where the death toll from heat-related illness has reached 212 since June 21 as the heat dome continues to grip western and central Europe.

Wednesday was the first of three consecutive days in which the hottest June day on record was broken in the UK.

Friday was confirmed by the Met Office as the UK's hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday.

Health chiefs warned of the impact the conditions were having on services this week as they face significantly more life-threatening emergency calls.

Hundreds of schools and nurseries have been forced to close and a hosepipe ban was brought in for Kent amid surging demand.

Several hospitals have declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.

Courts were also affected, with the cells at Bristol Crown Court closed because of the heat and defendants moved to Bristol Magistrates' Court where it was thought to be cooler.

The heatwave was driven by a 'heat-dome' – an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat – settling over western Europe and bringing extreme conditions across the continent.

This has been compounded by human-driven climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, which is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.