Police issue urgent warning after children reported playing on icy lake after Solihull deaths

Police have issued an urgent safety warning after children were reportedly seen playing on an icy lake.

Officers urged parents to educate their children about the dangers, saying “falling into freezing water through ice can be fatal in minutes”. It comes just days after four young boys died after the ice cracked in a lake in Solihull, West Midlands.

Finlay Butler, eight, his brother Sam Butler, six, and their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, had gone to feed the ducks at Babbs Mill Lake, when the ice gave way, sending them plunging into the freezing water. Brave 10-year-old Jack Johnson fell in the lake while trying to save them.

Just days later, Lincoln Police, based in Lincolnshire, were called after reports children had been playing on Hartsholme Lakes, south-east of the city. Officers were forced to issue an urgent warning to parents about the incident.

Posting on social media, officers said: “This afternoon we’ve been called to Hartsholme Lakes to a report of children playing on the ice. This may look like a picturesque frozen lake, but the ice is thin and unstable.

“After the upsetting news in Solihull this week, we cannot overstate how dangerous this is - falling into freezing water through ice can be fatal in minutes. Please make sure you educate your children about the dangers of ice and cold water.”

Emergency services were called to the nature park in Solihull at 2.36pm on Sunday after the children fell into the water. Reports from the scene and social media indicated that children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through into the lake.

Members of the public and police officers initially went into the chilly waters to try to get the youngsters out, before the children were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters who got the group to safety. Temperatures are thought to have plunged to 1C (34F) in the area at the time of the incident, falling to -3C (26F) overnight.

They were immediate life support by ambulance and fire service personnel before being rushed to two Birmingham hospitals; Birmingham Children’s and Heartlands, where they all arrived in critical condition. Sadly the four youngsters all died.

The Royal Life Saving Society has safety advice around ice at winter:

What to do if you fall through the ice

• Keep calm and shout for ‘help’
• Spread your arms across the surface of the ice in front of you
• If the ice is strong enough, kick your legs to slide onto the ice
• Lie flat and pull yourself towards the bank
• If the ice breaks, work your way to the bank-breaking the ice in front of you anyway
• If you cannot climb out, wait for help and keep as still as possible. Preserve heat by pressing your arms by your side and keep your legs together. Keep your head clear of the water
• Once you are safe, go to hospital immediately for a check up

What to do if you see someone fall through the ice

• Shout for assistance and phone the emergency services – call 999 or 112
• Do not walk or climb onto the ice to attempt a rescue
• Shout to the casualty to ‘keep still’ and offer reassurance to keep them calm
• Try and reach them from the bank using a rope, pole, tree branch, clothing tied together or anything else which can extend your reach
• When reaching from the bank, lie down to avoid being pulled onto the ice
• If you cannot reach them, slide something which floats, such as a plastic bottle or football, across the ice for them to hold onto to stay afloat whilst help is on the way
• If the casualty is too far away, do not attempt to rescue them. Wait for the emergency services while calming and reassuring the casualty

What to do after the casualty has been rescued from the ice

• Make sure the ambulance is on its way
• Lay the casualty flat, check for normal breathing and begin resuscitation if necessary
• Prevent them from getting colder by covering them with warm clothing, blankets etc.
• Get them out of the cold under cover or create some shelter around them
• Until the casualty is in a warm place, do not undress them
• Do not rub their skin, do not apply hot water bottles and do not give an alcoholic drink
• Keep them wrapped up so they warm up gradually