It comes as at least seven young people and two adults died in recent days
A major search operation has been launched for a young man thought to have vanished after entering a lake in Kent on Wednesday (May 27). Police raced to the scene just before 3pm following concerns for a person in the Swanscombe area.
It is believed a young man may have vanished after entering the water, according to Metro. Images shared online showed a large emergency services response, with two small rescue dinghies seen on the water.
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “Kent Police was called at around 2.51pm on Wednesday 27 May 2026 due to concerns for a person in the Galley Hill Road area of Swanscombe. Officers are currently at the scene along with other emergency services.”
Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter
The search operation is understood to involve Kent Police, volunteers from Kent Search and Rescue, team from South East Coast Ambulance Service and specialist water rescue teams.
It comes as at least seven young people and two adults, including a 12-year-old in Lancashire, tragically died water related incidents amid the soaring UK temperatures in recent days.
Junior Slater was the latest youngster to be identified after his body was recovered after being swept away in the River Ribble, Lancashire, on Tuesday (May 26).
In a tribute to the 12-year-old his family said: “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.”
Also on Wednesday (May 27), police in Cheshire confirmed the body of a teenage boy, aged 17, was pulled from the water following a huge search operation at Pickmere Lake in Knutsford overnight.
Professor Mike Tipton, chair of the National Water Safety Forum, told the Mirror that deaths from drowning are an ‘enormous problem’ which disproportionately affects younger people, particularly those under 40.
“People look to cool off by going into the water,” he said. “The problem is the air temperature shoots up very quickly. It’s very easy to heat air, but the water temperature takes much longer. In fact, it doesn’t reach its peak until about September.
“So we’ve got people now who are getting very hot and charging into water that’s still around winter temperatures. So it’s about 13C, and in those temperatures you get very significant physiological responses, particularly the cold shock response, which is a gasp and uncontrollable hyperventilation, which is often a precursor to drowning. About 60 per cent of those that die going into cold water do so in the first minute or so of immersion.”

You must be logged in to post a comment Login