Pictured: Teenager Jack Pullen who died in river on year's hottest day

The boy has been named locally as Jack Pullen
Chloe Chaplain20 July 2016

Family and friends have left tributes to a 16-year-old who drowned whilst playing in a river on the hottest day of the year.

The boy, named locally as Jack Pullen, died while swimming with friends in the River Etherow in Manchester on Tuesday.

The teenager’s father, Gary Pullen, today visited the scene where his son died to read tributes left by friends and neighbours.

Mr Pullen, from Hattersley, broke down as he spoke of his son, who had just completed his GCSEs.

He said that Jack had not known what he wanted to do next after finishing school and that he “just wanted to be a teenager and be out with his mates”.

Emergency services were called to the river at 5:45pm on Tuesday and remained until 2:00am.

Tragedy: The boy's body was pulled from the River Etherow
Google Street View

Police said the body was found in water that appeared calm and shallow but may have masked hazards below.

A man who lives in a cottage backing onto the river said youngsters enjoy jumping into that part of the river summer.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "One of my neighbours was first on the scene. They found a distraught 16-year-old wondering where his mate had gone.

Floral tributes were left at the scene 
Lauren Brown/PA

"Everybody on the road is upset because we've seen them doing it. It's like a sign of summer seeing kids jump in and having a laugh."

The man said he believed the boy had jumped from a rocky area that is approximately 2ft high.

He added: "They all jump in - it's a favourite spot. They come down in the summer through the woods and camp on the river. There's a few rocks in there and there are some deeper pools."

Floral tributes were tied to posts along the river today.

A card left at the scene read: "To Jack always in our hearts and thoughts, lots of love, Family."

'To Jack always in our hearts and thoughts' 
Lauren Brown/PA

Another tribute read: "Jack, Heaven has gained a perfect angel and we're all left wondering why.

"Such a beautiful kid. Jack we are all gonna miss you so much. Love you always, Lisa."

Police said there are no suspicious circumstances and no-one else was taken to hospital.

Detective Inspector Andy Sandiford, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We have launched an investigation into this tragic incident, which appears to have begun with a group of friends playing in the river on a hot summer's day.

"While we don't yet know for sure what happened, we understand the water appeared calm and shallow, but there may have been strong undercurrents and hidden hazards beneath the surface.

"A team of detectives are investigating the incident and have concluded that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the boy's death.

"The family of the boy are being supported by specially trained officers during this difficult time."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in