Body of boy, 15, recovered from Manchester reservoir amid UK heatwave

The body of a 15-year-old boy has been recovered from a reservoir near Manchester, as police renewed warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water during soaring temperatures. Greater Manchester police said officers had been called to reports of a boy getting into difficulty in the water near Cowbury reservoir in Stalybridge at about 6.30pm on Saturday. A body was recovered later that evening. The teenager’s family have been informed after identification. Police have ruled out suspicious circumstances. The teenager’s death comes after at least seven people died in water-related incidents during Britain’s record-breaking June heatwave. Temperatures reached a provisional 37.3C (99.1F) in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on Friday after records were broken on three consecutive days. It follows an earlier 15 water-related deaths during a spell of hot weather in May. The London ambulance service said it had experienced the busiest day in its history as extreme heat gripped the capital this week. The service said demand on Friday was higher than during the peak of the Covid pandemic and during May’s heatwave. A spokesperson said: “The service also responded to 688 category 1 emergencies – another record for a single day. These are the most seriously ill patients, including people in cardiac arrest or who have stopped breathing.” Deaths from drowning often rise in May as hot weather arrives and more people head to open water locations to cool down. …