Body found after 15-year-old boy went missing at Testwood Lakes

Police have found a body in the search for a 15-year-old boy who disappeared while swimming at Testwood Lakes near Totton. Formal identification has taken place, his family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers, and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.

The boy was reported missing at 1.35pm on Wednesday, 24 June, after he was last seen swimming at the 150-acre nature reserve near Southampton. Hampshire Constabulary launched a large-scale search that brought in marine units, specialist dive teams, the National Police Air Service, South Central Ambulance Service, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire Search and Rescue volunteers.

Testwood Lakes was closed to the public while the search continued, with cordons put in place around the area. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, which manages the reserve and owns the site with Southern Water, said it was extremely concerned and asked people to avoid the area while emergency teams worked.

The reserve sits near Totton and Calmore, just outside Southampton, and includes rivers, lakes, woodland and wildflower meadows. It is usually presented as a family destination, but the response to this incident underscored the hazards that can emerge quickly around open water, especially when swimming takes place outside supervised settings.

The search unfolded during one of the most intense heat episodes of the summer. The Met Office recorded a provisional UK June temperature record of 36.1C in Gosport on 24 June and issued a rare red warning for extreme heat across parts of southern England and beyond. The combination of high temperatures and crowded outdoor sites has put added pressure on emergency services and raised the risk for young swimmers drawn to lakes and rivers.

Water rescue operations around open stretches of water often depend on rapid coordination between police, fire crews, ambulance staff and specialist volunteers, as this search did. For families and communities around Hampshire, the case has become a stark reminder of how quickly a day out at the water can turn into a multi-agency recovery effort.