Body recovered from water after reports of man in difficulty in river during heatwave

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The body of a 22-year-old man has been recovered from a river after it was reported he got into difficulty during the heatwave.

Brody Leach’s body was recovered from the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on Saturday morning, West Mercia Police said.

He is believed to be the second person to have died after entering open water during the recent heatwave which has seen record temperatures for June.

The area around the riverside where searches were taking place has reopened following searches for Mr Leach after he entered the river on Friday and then got into difficulty.

On Wednesday, a 50-year-old man was pronounced dead at Aberavon beach after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea off the south coast of Wales.

During the May heatwave, at least 15 people, the majority of whom were children, drowned while swimming in open water.

It prompted widespread warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water, which is often much colder than expected and can cause cold water shock syndrome that can prove prove fatal.

Temperatures will drop with thunderstorm warnings issued following a heatwave that saw the record June temperature broken three days in a row.

People swim in the lido at Hampstead Heath, London. A rare red warning for extreme heat has been issued by the Met OfficePeople swim in the lido at Hampstead Heath, London. A rare red warning for extreme heat has been issued by the Met Office (PA)

Friday was confirmed by the Met Office as the UK’s hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday.

These smashed the long-standing record for June heat, which dates back to the summer of 1976, by more than 1C, which is significant given such records were usually broken only by a fraction of a degree in the past.

Scientists warned that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events.

The Met Office said the third consecutive day of June’s record-breaking temperatures came as parts of the UK were transitioning to more of a westerly influence, bringing the risk of thunderstorms.

A drop in temperatures will develop in the west at first, with these fresher conditions spreading slowly further east over the course of the weekend.

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