Police issue warning after children seen walking onto frozen pond in York

Police have issued an urgent warning after young people were reported taking risks on frozen water in York this evening (Sunday).

With the continued freezing temperatures, many lakes and ponds are at least partially frozen over in the city.

But the ice may not be strong enough to support people’s weight.

York police tonight said they were particularly concerned about children going onto the ice.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “We’re continuing to patrol around open areas of frozen water.

“We’ve had reports this evening of people walking on ice on Derwenthorpe Lakes.

“We ask parents to talk with their children about the dangers of going onto frozen water.”

The warning comes a month after police intervened when they spotted boys trying to smash through the iced-over pond in Rowntree Park.

That was on the same day that four children were pulled from under the ice at a lake in Solihull. Tragically, all the boys lost their lives.

Next week, temperatures are not forecast to fall below zero in York. While tomorrow (Monday) will see a top temperature of 5ºC and a low of 1ºC, by next Sunday they are predicted to rise to 10ºC and 7ºC.