Body pulled from Doncaster Lakeside in search for man in his 20s

A body has been found after a search for a man in difficulty in a lake in Doncaster.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, responded to reports that a man in his 20s was in trouble at Lakeside on Saturday afternoon, 13 August.

In a statement on Saturday night, South Yorkshire Police said:  "We are very sorry to report that following earlier information about an incident at Lakeside, Doncaster, a body has now been found.

"Emergency services responded to the lake at around 4.10pm today, after receiving calls that a man, aged in his 20s, had got in to difficulty in the water.

"No formal identification has yet taken place. The man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers."

It came on one of the hottest days of the year, with temperatures exceeding 30C.

Lynne Lawrence said she heard a police aeroplane circulating for half an hour, and later saw a helicopter had landed.

She said: "All I heard was some young guys had gone in the lake... the rescue workers were stood on the shore looking at the lake."

The incident comes four weeks after a man died after getting into difficulty at Ardsley Reservoir near Wakefield.

Six days earlier, 16-year-old Alfie McCraw lost his life in the Aire and Calder Navigation, near the Southern Washlands, Wakefield, prompting warnings from the emergency services about the dangers of swimming in open water on hot days.

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