Teenager is 10th person to die in water during heatwave

The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from a pond in Kent - the 10th person to die in water-related incidents during the recent heatwave.

Emergency services were called to reports of concerns for a swimmer in a pond in the Galley Hill Road area of Swanscombe just before 15:00 BST on Wednesday.

Kent Police said: "His death is not being treated as suspicious at this time and a report will be prepared for the coroner."

It comes after young people died in water-related incidents in Lincoln, Halifax, Rotherham, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Farnborough and Lancashire, along with a man in his 60s in Cornwall and a woman in her 70s in Wales.

Several of the victims have been named and tributes paid, while others have not yet been formally identified by police.

Their deaths have sparked a warning by Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).

The RLSS said: "Warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings."

On Tuesday, the UK recorded the hottest day in May with temperatures reaching 35.1C at Kew Gardens in London.

Despite the hot weather, RLSS warned water temperatures remain very cold, causing shock which can make swimming difficult and make it harder to get out of the water.

Cold-water shock is an involuntary physiological response when the body is suddenly immersed in water.

According to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), anything below 15C is defined as cold water, and average UK and Ireland sea temperatures are 12C, and some rivers can be colder even in summer.

• 'This is why rivers and lakes are so dangerous to swim in'

• At Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln, Declan Sawyer, 15, was found dead after emergency crews were called to reports of him getting into difficulty at about 14:30 on Sunday

• Also on Sunday, a 72-year-old woman was pulled from the water at West Angle Bay beach, Pembrokeshire in Wales

• On Bank Holiday Monday, a 13-year-old boy named locally as Reco Puttock was pronounced dead after being pulled from Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, West Yorkshire; the body of a teenage girl, Lillianna Tomlinson thought to be aged 16, was recovered from Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire; and the body of a teenage boy was recovered from a lake in Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham, South Yorkshire

• Also on Monday, a man in his 60s died after running into the sea to help two relatives who had got into difficulty at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall, police said

• On Tuesday, 12-year-old Junior Slater died after getting into difficulty in the River Ribble in Lancashire. His family have paid tribute to "our little blue-eyed boy"

• On Wednesday, Cheshire police found a body in Pickmere Lake during the search for a 17-year-old boy who went missing after swimming at the beauty spot

• On the same day, the body of a teenage boy who reportedly went missing after going swimming was recovered by police at Hawley Lake near Farnborough

Neighbourhood Watch Swanscombe thanked its volunteers who helped with traffic management as emergency services responded, and praised the "fast response" of crews at the scene.

It added: "Just a gentle reminder to all, especially parents with children who may be out having fun during the hot weather we are currently experiencing, to remind children of the dangers of swimming in lakes and rivers."

For two days in a row earlier this week, parts of south-east England went above 34C.

Nearly all weather stations across England and Wales also broke their local May temperature records on Monday and Tuesday.

The Met Office says a heatwave happens when an area reaches a certain high temperature for at least three days in a row.

Wednesday brought a reprieve from the record-breaking temperatures which have likely peaked, as cooler air moves over northern and eastern areas of England.

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