Body of boy, 15, recovered from UK river after ‘devastating incident’
The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from water near Cowbury Reservoir, Stalybridge after he got into difficulties – police have now stepped up warnings about cooling off in hot weather
Cowbury Reservoir, Stalybridge(Image: Facebook)
The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from a river after an incident police have described as “nothing short of devastating.” Officers were called to reports of a boy in difficulty in the water on June 27.
He was later recovovered from water near Cowbury Reservoir, Stalybridge where he was pronounced dead. A spokesperson from Greater Manchester Police said: “The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from water near Cowbury Reservoir, Stalybridge.
“This was after we were called to reports of a 15-year-old boy getting into difficulty in the water yesterday (Saturday 27 June 2026).
“At around 6.30pm police were called and emergency service colleagues from GMFRS and NWAS attended. Sadly, a body was located in the water later that evening and was recovered by specialist partners.
“Formal identification has taken place and his family have been made aware. Detectives from Tameside CID are – at this stage – confident that there aren’t any suspicious circumstances, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.”
Chief Inspector Helen Baxter said: “Yesterday’s events are 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.
“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.”
The tragedy comes as police are currently scouring a country park river after a boy was spotted struggling in the water. Specialist police divers are at the scene at Clifton Country Park in Salford on Sunday following the incident on Saturday evening.
Pictures from the scene show officers are also deploying a drone on Sunday morning. A substantial area has been sealed off and the Tactical Aid Unit are present, reports the Manchester Evening News.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson has said this morning: “At around 4.49pm on Saturday 27 June 2026, we were called to reports of boy getting into difficulty in the River Irwell at Clifton Country Park.
“Emergency services and specialist search teams remain at the scene. The incident is ongoing.”
