Fears that a toddler’s body might have been found in a pond last night turned out to be a false alarm.
Police divers were deployed to "The Pit" on Heath Road opposite Union Street in Runcorn after concerns were raised at 6.30pm.
A Cheshire Constabulary spokesman said a member of the public thought they might have seen a child’s leg.
Their concerns may have been further roused by the sight of a pram dumped in bushes next to the water.
The underwater search continued into the night, with a diver in breathing gear taking search instructions from an officer with a tablet computer on the banks when the ECHO visited the scene at around 10.45pm-11.10pm.
As well as a large marine unit vehicle nearby, a rapid response paramedic car was also parked by the police cordon on standby.
A patrol car was briefly parked near the scene this morning.
Rumours circulating in the town took in a range of potential tragedies but a Merseyside police spokesman said the incident was a "false alarm".
Speaking this morning, he said: "At 6.30pm last night, we were called to reports of a child in the pond and we’ve had the underwater search team out.
"The underwater search team have done a thorough search of the pond and they’re satisfied that there isn’t a child in there.”
He added: "There’s been nothing in the pond. False alarm.
"Obviously it’s caused concern."
