There is a desperate search for a missing young person who vanished in a lake, after nine young people lost their lives in water during the May heatwave.
Kent Police were called at around 2.51pm on Wednesday 27 May 2026 following concerns for a person in the Galley Hill Road area of Swanscombe.
Officers remain at the scene alongside multiple emergency service agencies as an extensive search operation continues.
A man at the scene, who asked not to be named, said the missing person was believed to be a member of the local boxing gym.
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He added: ‘I just wish young people would listen to the warnings about the dangers of going into the water.’
Junior Slater, 12, vanished while swimming with friends in the River Ribble, in Lancashire, at 2pm yesterday afternoon.
Junior’s body was sadly pulled from the water several hours later, Ribble Valley Police said.
The young boy’s family issued a heartbreaking statement describing him as the ‘soul of our lives’.
It read: ‘Our little blue-eyed boy. 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.’
His former school The Blessed Sacrament Primary in Preston added: ‘It is with deep sadness that we remember one of our former pupils, Junior Slater, who tragically passed away yesterday.
‘Although he left our school last year, his cheeky smile, warmth, kindness, and bright spirit left a lasting impression on both staff and students. Junior will be remembered for his smile, friendships, and the joy he brought to those around him.’
Chief Inspector Jamie Lewis said today the body was found after an underwater team scoured Pickmere Lake in Marston, Nantwich.
He added: ‘This was a young boy who had his entire life ahead of him.
‘At what is an incredibly difficult time, our thoughts remain with the boy’s family, friends and everyone who knew him.’
At least nine young people have died struggling in open water since a record-breaking heatwave started over the May bank holiday weekend.
Declan Sawyer, 15, died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln, on Sunday.
His father called him a ‘funny and outgoing young man who loved his fishing and his football’.
Reco Puttock, 13, died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday.
Lightcliffe Academy, in Halifax, said Puttock was ‘a popular and much-loved student’.
The body of a teenage girl was also recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
A man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest while entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members struggling in the waters.
The body of a fourth teen was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, yesterday morning.
That evening, a body had been recovered from the River Ribble after a boy, 12, got into difficulty while swimming with friends at Ribchester. He has now been named as Junior Slater.
Irish police said that Abbie Carmody-Pepper, 15, died in the sea at Burrow Beach, a popular swimming spot near Howth, on Sunday.
She was swimming with friends at the time, according to a GoFundMe raising money for her funeral.
RNLI issues warning over swimming in open water
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) says that, as hot as it is, open water bodies remain cold.
So, when people take a dip in a lake or the sea, this can induce ‘cold water shock’ as the body struggles to make sense of the temperature change.
Cold water shock can trigger hyperventilation, a rapid increase in heart rate and a spike in blood pressure.
The RNLI said: ‘While the air temperature is warm, the seas are still cold and cold water shock remains a very real risk.
‘With many school children enjoying half term, the lifesaving charity is urging everyone to stay safe.’
Despite it still being spring, large parts of the UK and Ireland have already experienced their first heatwave of the year.
The temperature swelled to 30.5°C in southeast England on Saturday.
Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for England, with Kew Gardens, west London, reaching a scorching 35.1°C, breaking the record set just the day before by two degrees.
The Met Office described the heat as ‘unprecedented for the time of year,’ stressing that records are typically broken by only fractions of a degree.
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