The body of a missing 17-year-old boy has been recovered from a lake in Staffordshire by police.
Staffordshire Police was called to Rudyard Lake, a reservoir north-west of Leek, shortly after 9.30pm on Saturday after three teenage boys were seen in the water.
Two of them - believed also to be aged about 17 - were able to get out of the lake and were taken to hospital after being assessed by paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service, police said.
Specialist search teams attempted to find the third teenager, with assistance from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Staffordshire Police recovered the boy’s body shortly after 5pm on Sunday and said they were not treating his death as suspicious.
They added that they had deployed specialist officers to support the boy’s family.
Chief Inspector Mark Barlow, from the Moorlands local policing team, said: “Our thoughts and condolences are very much with the boy’s family at this distressing time.
“A large number of officers and emergency service personnel have been working around the clock and through the night since this was first reported to us.
“I’d like to thank the members of the public who respected the cordon and avoided the area while we worked at the scene.
“This is a tragic case and one which I know will cause a great deal of sorrow in the local community. Our priority now is about making sure we can do everything possible to support the boy’s family.”
A large number of emergency services are at the lake, which has been cordoned off.
Police are advising the public to avoid the area where possible whilst work continues at the scene.
In a Facebook post, the Rudyard Lake Trust said the park and its facilities had been closed to pedestrians and vehicles “until further notice”.
The National Police Air Service helped with the search on Saturday but are no longer involved.
Local councillor Joe Porter commented on X, formerly Twitter: “That’s awful news.
“Praying for all those involved.
“Please follow police advice to avoid the Rudyard Lake area where possible whilst they continue their work at the scene.”
