Two drown as heatwave adds to accident toll

JOJO MOYES

Police divers in separate parts of the country yesterday recovered the bodies of a 13-year-old boy from the River Tees in Co Durham and that of a 10-year-old girl who drowned in the River Severn in Shropshire.

Dwain Jackson vanished after going swimming in a river following a row with his girlfriend. He was last seen heading upstream in the River Tees at Broken Scar, Low Coniscliffe, Darlington, Co Durham, on Sunday evening.

Dwain's girlfriend, Charmaine West, her mother Jacqueline and stepfather Sean Carter, and relatives of the boy were on the riverbank when divers recovered the body in water about 12ft deep, just yards from where he disappeared.

A police spokesman said the two families, who were "extremely upset", had returned to Broken Scar to help yesterday's resumed search.

Meanwhile, divers last night recovered the body of a 10-year-old girl who drowned yesterday while swimming in the River Severn near Bridgnorth, Shropshire. The unnamed girl, from the West Midlands, is thought to have been swept away by strong currents.

The number of drownings has soared during the recent heatwave. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents warned that at the present rate 1995's deaths by drowning in lakes and reservoirs could outstrip last year's 76 - itself 36 up on 1993. Most at risk are young men, who drink alcohol and become reckless.