The heatwave that has gripped the UK and western Europe has claimed the lives of several young people in recent days, with divers recovering the bodies of two teenagers from waterways in Southampton and Lancashire.
In Southampton, a 15-year-old schoolboy who went missing on Wednesday during a dip in the Testwood Lakes nature reserve was found dead today. His family has been informed, and formal identification has been carried out by the police.
Tributes have poured in for 13-year-old Hayden Jones-Powell, whose body was pulled from Meynell Lake in Syston, Lancashire, yesterday. His parents described him as a bright and cheerful young man with an amazing sense of humour and a quick wit. Hayden's love of animals, passion for football, and love of being outdoors were also highlighted by his family.
A memorial has been set up for Hayden at a local skatepark, where mourners have laid flowers and pictures in his memory.
The death of a 69-year-old man in Clacton, who got into difficulty in the sea on Friday morning, has also been linked to the heatwave. Despite the best efforts of paramedics and the coastguard, the man died at the scene.
The first death linked to the heatwave and open water swimming was that of a 50-year-old man, who was pronounced dead on Wednesday at Aberavon beach on the south coast of Wales.
In France, the number of drowning deaths linked to the heatwave has reached 55 since Thursday last week. Within the last 24 hours alone, Paris recorded 109 heat deaths in the city.
