Emergency services attended the scene at Lakeside on Saturday afternoon after receiving calls that the man, who was in his 20s, was in difficulty, South Yorkshire Police said. The force said: “We are very sorry to report that following earlier reports of an incident in Lakeside, Doncaster, a body has now been found.” Official identification has yet to be made but the man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. A police plane was seen circling the lake for 20 minutes after the first reports. Specialist teams were involved in the search for the man and South Yorkshire Police had asked the public to avoid the area. It comes as temperatures topped 30C in many parts of England on Saturday. More than 20 people have lost their loves after running out of water during the extreme heat this summer. Read more: UK drowning prevention campaign launches
IF YOU SEE SOMEONE FIGHTING IN THE WATER:
Call 999 – ask for fire and rescue if you are inland or the coastguard if you are at sea Tell the struggling person to try to float on their back Throw them something that floats – anything, even a football
IF YOU ARE RACING ON THE WATER:
Try to lie on your back Bring your arms and legs out to allow for better swing Once you are calm and oriented, call for help In the UK, most drowning deaths occur in the three summer months, with July being the worst. In July, 14-year-old Brian Sassu drowned on Tug Island near Hampton Court in south-west London after taking a dip to cool off in the UK heatwave when his school closed early. And teenager Robert Hattersley also died in the River Tyne near Ovingham, Northumberland. The family of the 13-year-old was “absolutely devastated”. Last year, 277 people died after drowning in the UK, compared to 254 in 2020 and 233 in 2019. The prevention initiative, called Respect The Water, is spearheaded by the National Water Security Forum. It aims to halve by 2026 the number of people in the UK who die accidentally in water each year.
