UK heatwave: Boy, 16, pronounced dead after body found in Berkshire lake

Police lament ‘absolute tragedy’ as teenager’s body recovered from Bray Lake

Members of the public were advised to avoid Bray Lake as rescue efforts got underway (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A 16-year-old boy has been pronounced dead after getting into difficulty in a lake in Berkshire.

Emergency services were called to Bray Lake at 11.45am on Monday and fire crews urged people to avoid the area as attempts to rescue the teenager got underway.

His body was discovered just after 1.30pm and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Thames Valley Police said.

“This is an absolute tragedy in which a young boy has died after getting into difficulty in the water of Bray Lake,” said Superintendent Michael Greenwood, commander for the Windsor and Maidenhead areas.

“The boy’s next of kin have been notified and are being offered support at this extremely difficult and traumatic time.

“My thoughts, and the thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police are with the boy’s family and his friends, and we would ask that their privacy is respected.”

The Met Office has warned of “an increased risk of water safety incidents” as the UK’s potentially record-breaking heatwave drives significantly more people to coastal areas, lakes and rivers.

The heightened risk of dangerous accidents in water was one of a number of hazards outlined by the national forecaster as it issued its first-ever “red” alert for extreme heat, alongside “population-wide adverse health effects”, which it said could cause “serious illness or danger to life”.

With UK temperatures set to potentially hit two new record-breaking highs in as many days, the Met Office has suggested the mercury could even hit 43C on Tuesday – a huge increase from the previous record of 38.7C recorded in Cambridge just three years ago.

The government has declared a national heat emergency for the first time, and has held multiple Cobra meetings in response to the situation, as experts warn that the UK’s infrastructure is not built to cope with such levels of heat as those forecast this week.

But MPs warned on Monday of a “major hole at the centre of government” over the resilience of the UK’s critical national infrastructure to climate breakdown, with no minister currently responsible for the issue.