Carr Mill Dam: Girl, 15, dies after swimming in St Helens reservoir with friends

A witness said two children went into the water but only one came out.
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A 15-year-old girl has died after getting into difficulty while swimming with friends in Carr Mill Dam. Emergency services were called to the reservoir in St Helens at around 12.30pm on Thursday after reports of a girl in distress.

Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue officers entered the water and spent hours searching before finding the teenager’s body. The death is not being treated as suspicious and her family have been informed.

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Kevin Longshaw, of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We mobilised four fire engines at 12.30pm to reports of a young person who had come into difficulty in the water at Carr Mill Dam. Firefighters in water kit entered the dam to search. They were assisted with an airborne drone and an underwater drone.

"Working jointly with our police and ambulance colleagues, we were able to establish the location of the young person and tragically were able to confirm that a body was recovered shortly after.”

What happened: Adele Laitak, 50, from Liverpool, said she had been walking around the dam when she heard shouting. She told the PA news agency: “I heard a girl shouting. It sounded like she was in distress but we couldn’t see anything from where we were. As we came round, we saw fire engines.

“It sounded to me like she was saying ‘help’ but because we were over the other side of the lake we didn’t know if it was just kids messing around. A police lady who was at the edge of the lake said a child’s gone missing and some women told us two children had gone into the water but one had managed to get out.”

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A man who had been walking his dog in the area said: “Three police officers went into the lake, we saw one of them afterwards and he was wringing wet. The helicopter has been up as well.”

Emergency services descended on Carr Mill Dam after a member of the public raised the alarm. Image: Jason Wells - stock.adobe.comEmergency services descended on Carr Mill Dam after a member of the public raised the alarm. Image: Jason Wells - stock.adobe.com
Emergency services descended on Carr Mill Dam after a member of the public raised the alarm. Image: Jason Wells - stock.adobe.com

Appeal and education: Merseyside Police are urging any witnesses to the incident to come forward to aid their investigation into the death of the girl and ‘provide her family with answers’.

Chief inspector Paul Holden said officers would be working with schools in the region to educate young people about the dangers of water. He added: “We know how tempting it can be to cool down in the water on a hot summer’s day, but we want to ensure that young people are equipped with the right knowledge to keep them safe around water."