Junior Slater, aged 12, was tragically drowned in the River Ribble at Ribchester on Tuesday afternoon. Lancashire Police reported the incident shortly after 2pm when Junior got into difficulty swimming with friends. His body was recovered around 7.50pm.
He is one of seven young people who have died across the UK and Ireland during this week’s record-breaking May heatwave. Meanwhile, emergency services continue searching for other missing swimmers amid the ongoing heatwave tragedy.
Recent days have seen a deadly surge in water-related incidents involving children and teenagers. Among those who drowned were 15-year-old Declan Sawyer at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln, a 13-year-old boy at Leadbeater Dam near Halifax, and teenagers found in Warwickshire and South Yorkshire.
Devon and Cornwall Police also confirmed a man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest after helping family members in trouble at a Cornish beach.
Search efforts continue in Cheshire after rescuers found a body believed to be a 17-year-old missing swimmer from Pickmere Lake. In Hampshire, a teenager’s body was recovered from Hawley Lake near Blackwater, with formal identification awaited, but the family was informed. Police stress these deaths are not being treated as suspicious.
Britain recorded its hottest ever May day on Tuesday as an intense heatwave swept the country, sparking warnings about swimming safety. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stressed UK waters remain dangerously cold despite warm air temperatures, contributing to the tragic incidents.
Merseyside Police issued an urgent appeal after a 15-year-old girl fell seriously ill following difficulties at Formby Beach on Monday afternoon. Emergency crews rushed her to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where she remains in critical condition. Officers urge anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to come forward urgently.
Junior Slater’s family described him as their “little blue-eyed boy” and the “life and soul of our lives,” expressing deep sorrow at his passing. Declan Sawyer’s father also highlighted the dangers of open water and urged parents and young people to be cautious around rivers and lakes during the heatwave.
Originally published by UKNIP.
