A search is under way for a boy who went missing after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Ribble at Ribchester in Lancashire. Officers were called shortly after 14:00 BST over concerns for his welfare, and emergency services were still at the scene as the search continued.

Lancashire Police said: “Emergency services are at the scene and searches are ongoing.” The child had been with friends when he entered the river, turning a summer outing into an urgent rescue operation on a day when the heat had drawn people to the water.

For residents, the incident cut across a familiar fear about the river. Ann-Marie Ruddock, who said she has lived in Ribchester since 1991, said locals know the danger. “Locals are well aware of the dangers of the river and they tend to keep away from it,” she said. “It’s nightmare scenario. I’m just hoping they find him.”

Valerie Hodgson said the river stretch can attract children, even though it is known locally as risky. “For the parents it must be dreadfully worrying,” she said. “When you have had children you try to protect them but on a nice day like today you can’t be there all the time can you?”

The incident happened at the River Ribble in Ribchester, a spot a resident said draws visitors from outside the area. It came as much of England and Wales was under an official heatwave, with amber and yellow heat-health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency, a combination that has sent more people toward rivers, lakes and other open water.

The search also lands in the shadow of a grim run of recent drowning cases. Three teenagers have died in separate incidents at beauty spots across England, a reminder that warm weather can quickly turn hazardous when children and families head for the water. In Ribchester, the immediate question is whether crews can find the boy before the afternoon closes in.