A three-year-old boy drowned after falling into a canal in Newbury, Berkshire, police have said.
The child and his mother, who survived, went into water that reached a depth of about 3 metres (10ft), where the canal meets the River Kennet. Officers said it was not immediately clear how it had happened, though the incident was not being treated as suspicious.
“Thames Valley police officers were called at about 2pm on Saturday following reports that a three-year-old child and his mother had fallen into the canal near Ash Bridge, close to the A339, Newbury.
“Officers and other emergency services attended. Both the woman and child were recovered from the water and were taken to hospital for treatment. Tragically, the child later died in hospital.
“His family are being supported by specially trained officers. The child’s mother has been discharged from hospital. The death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner. Our thoughts are with the child’s family at this incredibly difficult time.”
The Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Kennet, a tributary of the Thames, flow together in the area of Newbury where the incident occurred.
According to the Times, people using a nearby play park watched in grim silence as the mother and child were rescued and treated at the scene. The paper reported that they had been airlifted to the Royal Berkshire hospital in Reading.
The news has prompted more than 1,000 people to sign a petition asking the local council to put greater safety measures in place.
“The weir at Victoria Park, by Ash Bridge, has long been recognised as a potential danger zone, with turbulent waters and a strong current rolling into the canal,” said Briony Palmer, who set up the petition.
“Other than a brick wall behind the small bridge walking directly over it, and some short railings backing off of this, there [are] no other safety measures in place to prevent one falling into the weir … This is particularly important when you consider the fact that this weir is within a minute’s walk of the children’s play area, and is within feet of the footpaths on either side.”
