Body of missing boy recovered from Thames

A body has been recovered from the Thames after a search for a missing 14-year-old boy.

The body, found about 15:30 BST, is believed to be that of the teenager, who entered the water at Tagg's Island in Hampton, west London, on Monday afternoon.

Police, who have not named the boy, called off a search on Monday evening, praising those who tried to find him.

The teenager's death follows a number of others in open water in recent days.

A 16-year-old boy died in Bray Lake near Maidenhead, Berkshire, a 13-year-old boy drowned when he got into difficulty in the River Tyne in Northumberland on Sunday, and a 16-year-old boy died in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, on Saturday.

Speaking after the search was called off, Supt Richard Smith from the Met's South West Command Unit said: "Despite the very best efforts of all involved, we must now sadly conclude that this young boy has died."

He warned that what had happened demonstrated the "terrible consequences" of things going wrong and urged young people in particular to be "the person in your group of friends who says no".

London Fire Brigade's assistant commissioner Charlie Pugsley offered an additional warning to those tempted to swim in rivers during the heatwave.

"Anything below 15C is defined as cold water, and on average the UK and Ireland sea temperatures are just 12C," he said. "Rivers such as the Thames are colder, even in the summer."

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