Desperate search to find teen swimmer, 15, who went missing in lake at beauty spot as heatwave grips the UK

Published: 17:33, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 17:47, 24 June 2026 A major rescue operation was launched today after a 15-year-old boy went missing while swimming in a lake at a beauty spot amid a heatwave across Britain. Police, ambulances, search and rescue teams, drones and marine units have all been deployed to find the missing teenager. The teenager was last seen swimming at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve near Totton in Hampshire.  The reserve is a popular swimming spot used by families to cool off during hot weather. A spokesperson for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said: 'A multi-agency operation is underway following a report that a 15-year-old boy is missing after he was last seen swimming at Testwood Lakes near Totton. 'This was reported to police at 1:35pm on Wednesday June 24 and the area is currently off limits while our search operation is ongoing. Please avoid the area at this time. 'We have deployed the marine units to aid in the search, alongside colleagues from NPAS, South Central Ambulance Service, and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Service. 'We will provide further updates when we are able.' Testwood Lakes, near Totton, where a 15 year old boy went missing while swimming The chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Debbie Tann said: 'We are aware of an incident at Testwood Lakes this afternoon. 'Emergency services are on site responding and we've closed the site until further notice.' Daniel Zelazny, 39, said his daughter came to the lakes in a group of ten friends. He said his daughter called the police after one of the children disappeared after swimming out into the lake. The children have been waiting for news since around 1.30pm when the boy went missing. His partner, Klaudia Wnuk, 28, said: 'It's difficult, we are scared now about what's going on.' She added: 'It's a horrible situation, it's a very sad situation.' The main gate to the lakes has been closed and people have been urged to avoid the area. It comes as thousands flocked to beaches and beauty spots on Britain's hottest ever June day. Temperatures hit 36.1C, breaking the 50-year record set in 1976, during a ten-week heatwave. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.