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Body of missing boy, 15, found in reservoir in Stalybridge

BBC Published Jun 28, 2026 Reviewed Jul 3, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Body of missing boy, 15, found in reservoir in Stalybridge
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) received reports of a teenager getting into difficulty at 18:30 BST on Saturday at Cowbury Reservoir.
18.5 hours · reports of difficulty Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
GMP stated that the boy missing in Salford was last seen shortly before 17:00.
before 17 hours · boy last seen GMP
Police recovered the body of a 15-year-old boy on Saturday who went missing after swimming at Testwood Lakes nature reserve.
15 years · age of boy whose body was recovered Police
The teenager had got into difficulty at 18:30 BST on Saturday at Cowbury Reservoir in Stalybridge, Tameside.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP), police
The boy missing in Salford had last been seen shortly before 17:00 on Saturday.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP), police
Up to 20 teenagers were rescued from choppy seas off the Lancashire coast.
20 · teenagers rescued HM Coastguard, coastguard

The body of a 15-year-old boy has been recovered from a reservoir.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it had been looking for the teenager after receiving reports he had got into difficulty at 18:30 BST on Saturday at Cowbury Reservoir in Stalybridge, Tameside.

A force spokesperson said the body had been found in the water later that evening, adding formal identification had taken place and his family had been informed.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, a search continues for another boy. Police said he got into difficulty in the River Irwell in Clifton Country Park, Salford, on Saturday afternoon.

GMP said the boy missing in Salford had last been seen shortly before 17:00.

A force spokesperson said officers were called to reports of a boy "getting into difficulty".

The spokesperson added: "Emergency services and specialist search teams remain at the scene. The incident is ongoing."

No further details about the boy, including his age, have been released.

Speaking about the Tameside body discovery, Ch Insp Helen Baxter said it was "nothing short of devastating and my thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the young boy who sadly lost his life in such awful circumstances".

She added: "We are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water.

"We remind the public to please avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds.

"We all want to enjoy the warm weather; please make sure you do so in a safe way."

There have been several disappearances and deaths in water during this summer's hot weather.

Police recovered the body on Saturday of a 15-year-old boy who went missing after swimming at Testwood Lakes nature reserve, near Totton, Hampshire, while 22-year-old Brody Leach died after he got into difficulty in the River Severn in the early hours of Friday morning.

A man died at a beach in Essex on Friday, while on Wednesday, a 50-year-old man was pronounced dead at Aberavon beach after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea off the south coast of Wales.

Several people died during a previous hot spell in May, including 12-year-old Junior Slater, who died after getting into difficulty in the River Ribble, in Lancashire, a17-year-old David Tita Jr,

Meanwhile, up to 20 teenagers were rescued from choppy seas off the Lancashire coast.

HM Coastguard said the children were helped on Friday evening in Fleetwood after they got into difficulty in rough seas "a significant distance out from the sea wall".

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