An 11th person has died in open water after several days of a record-breaking heatwave in the UK.
The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from a pond in Kent, with police called to Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe at 2.55pm on Wednesday.
Emergency services had received reports of concern for a swimmer in the pond, and a search and rescue operation was launched.
His death is not being treated as suspicious at this time, and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
A fresh heat health alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for parts of England, as officials warn of a greater risk of water-related deaths.
The yellow alert is in place between 4pm on Thursday and 8pm on Saturday for eastern and south-east England and London. The UKHSA said it means water-related incidents could increase including risks from cold-water shock and drowning.
People across the UK have died after struggling in open water in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Pembrokeshire, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in recent days.
A 14-year-old’s body was recovered from the River Thames near Donnington Bridge, Oxford, after emergency crews were alerted at about 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Declan Sawyer, 15, died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln, on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, a 72-year-old woman died after being pulled from the water at West Angle Bay beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, at around 3.15pm.
A 13-year-old boy, understood to be Reco Puttock, died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday, while the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
open image in galleryThe same day, a man in his sixties died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who were in difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
The body of a teenager was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, South Yorkshire Police said.
Another body has been found in the search for a teenage boy who went missing after he was last seen swimming at Hawley Lake on the Hampshire/Surrey border on Tuesday afternoon.
A 12-year-old boy who died after getting into trouble in the River Ribble at Ribchester, Lancashire, on Tuesday was named as Junior Slater from Clayton-le-Woods.
On Wednesday, Cheshire Police said they had recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in Pickmere Lake in Marston, Northwich.
The RNLI have warned of the “very real risk” of swimming in open water during the heatwave.
The charity said that while temperatures have hit record highs for May, water temperatures remained low and this could lead to cold water shock.
open image in galleryMeanwhile, Parliament Hill lido was forced to close on the Bank Holiday Monday after a fight broke out, while nature groups have pleaded with swimmers to give wildlife a wide berth after several people swam in a nature pond on Hampstead Heath.
While many people enjoyed the sunny bank holiday weekend, older people and babies can be particularly vulnerable.
There is also a risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion, which is caused by the body losing too much water and salt, and can lead to heatstroke, a life-threatening illness.
Thousands of people in Kent were asked to use water for essential purposes only after high demand during the heatwave caused supply issues.
Temperatures are expected to cool slightly in parts of the UK in the coming days, but health officials have confirmed that heat health alerts would be extended for 24 hours.
The UK Health Security Agency said amber alerts for the South West, South East, London, East and West Midlands and the East of England will remain in place until 5pm on Thursday, with yellow heat-health alerts for the North West and North East.