A body has been found in a search for a 12-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in a river in Lancashire.

The boy was with friends when he got into difficulty in the River Ribble, Ribchester, at about 14:00 BST on Tuesday.

Police and fire crews with underwater units launched a major search of the area until a body was recovered from the water at about 19:50 BST. Formal identification has not yet taken place, but Lancashire Police said: "We believe it to be the body of the missing boy."

Wednesday will bring a reprieve from the record-breaking heat that has swept across parts of the UK, as cooler air moves over northern and eastern areas of England.

Some areas of London saw 35C heat on Tuesday, breaking a record set on Monday for the hottest May day.

Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional temperature of 35.1C, beating Monday's 34.8C record-high in the same place.

Wales also broke May records for a consecutive day, as provisional temperatures reached 32.3C at Cardiff's Bute Park, surpassing Monday's 32.2C at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire.

Temperatures will likely stay in the heatwave threshold in parts of Wales, the West Country and south-west England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber and yellow heat-health alerts for many areas of the UK on Tuesday, lasting until 17:00 BST on Thursday.

These alert types mean "water-related incidents may increase, including risks from coldโ€‘water shock and drowning," according to the UKHSA.

There have been a series of water-related deaths in the past few days.

Earlier, while the large-scale search for the 12-year-old boy was was under way in Lancashire, one resident told BBC North West Tonight that part of the river was a "hotspot" for children and it tended to be people from out of the area who visited to swim.

Ann-Marie Ruddock, who has lived in Ribchester since 1991, said: "Locals are well aware of the dangers of the river and they tend to keep away from it. It's nightmare scenario."

Three teenagers died in open water in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Warwickshire on Bank Holiday Monday, and a 15-year-old boy drowned in a lake near Lincoln on Sunday.

In Halifax, West Yorkshire, a 13-year-old boy, named locally as Reco Puttock, was pronounced dead after being pulled from Leadbeater Dam.

In Warwickshire, the body of a teenage girl was recovered from Kingsbury Water Park, while in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, police recovered the body of a teenage boy from a lake in Rother Valley Country Park.

At Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall, a man in his 60s died on Monday after running into the sea to help two relatives who got into difficulty, police said.

The spate of water-related deaths follows the suspected drowning of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln on Sunday.

Emergency services are also searching for a teenage boy reported missing in Pickmere Lake, between Knutsford and Northwich in Cheshire.

Newly released figures from the National Water Safety Forum show more accidental drowning deaths occurred inland than on the coast for the seventh consecutive year in 2025.

It recommended swimming in supervised locations with lifeguards where possible and entering the water slowly to reduce the risk of cold-water shock.

If in trouble the NWSF recommends people "try to float on their backs until feeling calm and either wait for rescue or swim to safely if they can."

The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) has also issued a warning following the deaths, saying "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings".

The RLSS warned water temperatures remained very cold, despite increased air temperatures, and that cold water shock could make swimming difficult and increased the difficulty in getting out of the water.

Anyone who sees someone in an emergency in the water should call 999, stay out of the water themselves and throw them something that floats, such as a plastic water bottle or football for them to hold onto and stay afloat while help is on the way, the RLSS added.

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Temperatures soared to 35.1C in Kew Gardens, south-west London, according to provisional figures.

Temperatures in Northern Ireland are not likely to be as high as those in the Republic of Ireland.

Temperatures climbed to 34.2C (93.56) in Jersey and Guernsey 31.5C (88.7F) on Tuesday.

A record-breaking heatwave brings packed beaches, a fatal medical incident and water issues.

Simon King explains how long the heatwave will last.