Search stood down as boy goes missing after going for a swim in River Mersey near Crosby

Granada Reports correspondent Victoria Grimes reports on the search for the missing teenager

The search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing after swimming in the River Mersey has been stood down.

Emergency services launched the operation in Waterloo, Crosby, at around 7pm on Sunday 30 June, after receiving a reports of a concern for safety for the teenager.

He had been in the water, near to the radar tower with a group of friends.

The coastguard helicopter joined the search for the 14-year-old.

The teenager's friends had come out of the river but he had become separated from the group and has not been seen since.

The path to the radar tower was closed off and the Merseyside Police asked people to avoid the area while the emergency services, including the coastguard and North West Ambulance Service, continued searching for the missing boy.

The coastguard helicopter was brought in to join the search, while a number of RNLI lifeboats have also been involved.

It has now been confirmed by the coastguard that the search has been stood down after 15 hours.

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said: "The search for a person reported missing in the Crosby Beach area on 30 June was stood down, pending further information, at about 10am on 1 July."

A spokesperson for the RNLI, who also assisted with the search, said: "A number of RNLI lifeboats were involved in a multi-agency search for a missing person in the Crosby Beach area.

"This morning (1 July), New Brighton RNLI’s inshore lifeboat and Lytham St Annes all-weather lifeboat were tasked at 5.15am and 5.30am."This morning’s search followed on from yesterday evening (June 30) when at approximately 6.41pm, New Brighton’s inshore lifeboat was requested to launch to conduct a search followed by Hoylake’s all-weather lifeboat at 7.50pm."

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