Police in Shropshire today issued a warning to keep off frozen ponds and lakes following an incident in Shrewsbury where a young boy fell through ice.
The incident happened on a pond behind Battlefield Plaza, near the DVLA centre on Saturday afternoon.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service alerted police that one of its crews had come across four boys, aged about 10 or 11 playing on the frozen surface. One was wet to the waist having apparently fallen through the ice.
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "The fire crew warned the youngsters against going on the pond but as they left, one of the boys was heard to say ‘come on, let's go back on the ice'".
Two police officers attended the scene but the youngsters had left. The spokesperson said: "There was a shoe in the lake but some members of the public said they saw the four boys walking off. The council was also notified about a life buoy which was actually in the lake.
"We would urge parents to impress on their children the extreme dangers of venturing onto frozen waterways, such as ponds, lakes, canals and rivers. They should resist the temptation. It really is highly dangerous as there is no way of knowing how thick or strong the ice may be.
"There is also no way of knowing the depth of water beneath and if someone does fall through they will struggle to get out with possible tragic consequences."
Police have been unable to trace the four boys concerned. The one who fell through the ice was dressed all in black with white trainers and one of the others was wearing a blue and white horizontally striped top with blue tracksuit bottoms.
