A boy who drowned in Ribchester during the UK heatwave has been named by police as 12-year-old Junior Slater.
Emergency services were called at just after 2pm on Tuesday to a report of a concern for safety after a boy had gone into the river at Ribchester and had got into difficulty while swimming with friends. A body was later recovered from the river at around 7:50pm.
In a statement released by Lancashire Police on Wednesday, Junior’s family paid tribute to their “blue-eyed little boy” who they described as “the life and soul of our lives”.
“Our little blue-eyed boy,” they said in the tribute. “He will be truly missed. He was the life and soul of our lives. Words can’t describe how we are feeling right now. We will forever love you Junior.”
Police confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious.
It comes after six other young people died in swimming-related incidents during the heatwave.
Police in Cheshire recovered a body on Wednesday believed to be a 17-year-old boy who went missing in the water at Pickmere Lake, Marston, Northwich, on Tuesday.
The family of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer also paid tribute to their “much loved” son who died after he got into trouble in the water at Swanholme Lakes in Lincolnshire on Sunday.
On Monday afternoon, a 13-year-old boy also died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire.
That evening, the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, police said the body of a teenage boy was pulled from the water at Rother Valley Country Park near Sheffield.
A 15-year-old girl is also in a critical condition after getting into difficulties in the water at Formby beach on Monday, Merseyside Police said.
The Royal Life Saving Society has issued a plea for everyone to “stop and think” before getting into the water in response to the deaths.
It noted that “warmer weather unfortunately correlates to an increase in accidental drownings” and that despite warmer air, “water temperatures remain very cold”.
Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales, according to the Met Office, with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9C.
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