Carr Mill Dam: Girl, 15, dies after swimming in lake with friends

The girl was found after a search of Carr Mill Dam in St Helens

A 15-year-old girl has died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a lake with friends in Merseyside.

Emergency services were called to Carr Mill Dam in St Helens at about 12:30 BST after reports of a girl in distress.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and her family have been informed, police said.

Ch Insp Paul Holden said it was a "tragic" incident and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm that the body of the teenage girl has been recovered from the water," he said.

"Our sincere condolences go to her family and friends."

Various emergency services joined the search

Witness Adele Laitak, 50, from Liverpool, said she had been walking around the dam when she heard shouting.

She told the PA news agency: "I heard a girl shouting. It sounded like she was in distress but we couldn't see anything from where we were. As we came round, we saw fire engines.

"It sounded to me like she was saying 'help' but because we were over the other side of the lake we didn't know if it was just kids messing around.

"A police lady who was at the edge of the lake said a child's gone missing and some women told us two children had gone into the water but one had managed to get out."

Kevin Longshaw, of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said crews had joined the search.

He said: "Working jointly with our police and ambulance colleagues, we were able to establish the location of the young person and tragically were able to confirm that a body was recovered shortly after."