Five youngsters drown as UK experiences heatwave

Five youngsters have drowned in open water amid heatwave conditions in the UK.

The deaths prompted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to warn of the "very real risk" of swimming in open water during the heatwave - as Tuesday saw the hottest ever May day recorded in the UK, breaking the record for a second day in a row.

A boy, 12, died on Tuesday after he got into trouble while swimming with friends in a river.

Lancashire Constabulary said police received a report shortly after 2pm that the boy had entered the River Ribble at Ribchester.

"A large-scale search involving officers from Lancashire Police's underwater search unit and colleagues from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service was launched, with colleagues from North-West Ambulance Service providing support," the force said.

A body, which police believe to be the boy's, was recovered from the river at about 7.50pm.

Lancashire Constabulary said: "While formal identification has not yet taken place, we believe it to be the body of the missing boy."

The force said his death is not being treated as suspicious.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the body of a teenager was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park after he went missing, South Yorkshire Police said - marking the fourth teenage death by drowning over the heatwave period.

A specialist search operation was launched following reports at 6.50pm on Monday that the boy had entered the water, but had not been seen getting out.

In County Dublin, Ireland, another teenager died while swimming in the sea over the weekend, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

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On Sunday, a body was discovered in the search for a boy who got into trouble in a lake in Lincoln.

Emergency services were called to Swanholme Lakes at 2.30pm on Sunday after reports that 15-year-old Declan Sawyer had entered the water and was missing.

On Monday afternoon, a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the teenager was pulled from the water and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

That same afternoon, a man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who had gotten into difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The two family members were brought to safety by members of the public.

On Monday evening, the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.

The RNLI said on Tuesday that while temperatures reached record highs for May over the bank holiday weekend, water temperatures remained low, which could lead to cold water shock, a reaction that causes the blood vessels in the skin to close and increases heart rate.

The charity said in a statement: "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."

Amber heat-health alerts issued

In a post on X, the Met Office said: "Today is now the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1°C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9°C."

The weather service said Heathrow had also provisionally recorded 35C.

The UKHSA this morning renewed its amber heat-health alerts, first issued last week ahead of the scorching weather.

An amber alert covers: East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, and South West.

The North East, North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber are on a yellow alert, which means a greater risk to life for vulnerable people.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms also came into force this afternoon.

The Met Office warning covers a huge swathe of England and is in place from 3pm until 10pm.

The high temperatures over the Bank Holiday also saw a grass fire break out near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh on Monday.

(c) Sky News 2026: Five youngsters drown as UK experiences heatwave