River Soar: police search for 2-year-old child after he fell into river near Leicester

Police are urgently searching for a missing two-year-old boy after he fell into a river near Leicester. Leicestershire Police received reports of a child falling into the water in the River Soar late on Sunday afternoon (February 18). The young boy was with his family when he fell in, but could not be located by family members.

Officers arrived at the scene around 5pm, with the incident prompting a huge search and rescue response in Aylestone Meadows. Police also said that a man has been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure after also entering the water to try to rescue the child.

A local resident, whose home overlooks Aylestone Meadows, said that the areas had been left in a poor states after recent flooding. The woman said that often the River Soar and the nearby canal can merge into one during flooding, adding: “It’s fast flowing. It’s been quite bad. It’s devastating to think how they (family members) must be feeling.”

Leicestershire Police said: "The operation is ongoing and will continue with additional specialist teams in the morning. The child’s family are being supported by specialist officers and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time.

"We have had a number of offers of support to assist with the search and would kindly ask that people do not attend the scene due to rising water levels and safety risks. If anyone has any information or comes across anything that may assist officers, they are asked to contact us immediately.

"Specialist teams are on standby to respond to any information received. If you need to get in touch, please contact 999 quoting incident 476:180224."