Boy, 2, dies after being pulled from canal

The boy was rescued by police officers from a stretch of canal in Ettingshall on Sunday, the ambulance service said

A two-year-old boy has died after being pulled from a canal in Wolverhampton, police have confirmed.

Emergency services were called to the waterway off Hendon Avenue, Ettingshall, at about 17:30 BST on Sunday.

The child had been rescued from the canal by police officers and was in a critical condition, said West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).

Despite everyone's efforts he could not be saved, they added.

West Midlands Police said it did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances and the boy's death had been referred to the coroner.

"Officers entered the water and pulled the boy out of the water before performing CPR until paramedics arrived," a spokesperson added.

"He was taken to hospital but despite the best efforts of the emergency services he sadly died."

The child was confirmed dead at the scene, a WMAS spokesperson said

WMAS said it sent several crews and the first ambulance was on the scene three minutes after they were called.

"On arrival, crews found a boy who had been pulled from the water by police colleagues in a critical condition," said a spokesperson.

“He was receiving basic life support by officers and ambulance staff immediately took over to administer advanced life support."

The towpath by the canal is accessed from a nearby housing estate which is where crews were called to on Sunday.

On Monday morning there was police tape at the scene but no emergency service vehicles or staff.

One resident told the BBC he had heard “a person screaming" on Sunday.

He saw police at the scene and then found out a child was missing via the housing estate's group chat.

The group chat said a two-year-old had gone missing and police had asked for help to look for him, the resident, who did not want to be named, said.

The canal area was popular with dog walkers and people feeding the ducks, he added.

“It’s absolutely devastating,” he said. “I’ve got two young ones myself. This canal is not even 100m from my house, it's awful."