Two boys were rescued after being stuck on an island in the middle of Hollow Pond yesterday afternoon (7th January)
Firefighters rescued two children who were trapped on a frozen pond in Leytonstone yesterday (7th January).
London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews were called at 4.44pm to two boys who were stuck on an island in the middle of Hollow Pond, unable to make it back to the edge due to melting ice. Crews from Leyton, Walthamstow and East Ham used inflatable rescue boats and specialist water rescue equipment to reach the boys and bring them to safety.
There were no reports of any injuries and the incident was over by 5.35pm. The incident comes just days after people fell into water after attempting to rescue a dog that got into difficulty in a frozen Epping Forest lake on Monday (4th January).
Both men were able to get out of the water and were left in the care of the ambulance service, and the dog was safely reunited with its owners.
The LFB says it has taken “more than 14 calls” to ice rescues in the last week. Incidents it attended yesterday (7th January) included a dog stuck on a frozen lake in Romford and children playing on a frozen lake in Enfield.
LFB assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne issued an appeal to the public amid the freezing conditions: “Walking out on to frozen ponds or lakes is extremely dangerous.
“Never assume that the ice is thick enough to support you. It may look sturdy enough to stand on, but it often isn’t and can be of variable thickness especially as you move away from the edge where the ice is often thinner. If you fall into icy water, the risk of hypothermia is very high and can prove fatal.”
If someone or an animal gets into difficulty in cold water, emergency services recommend not entering the water, calling 999 and immediately asking for the fire service, while maintaining visual contact from a place of safety.
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