Leicester: Major search after reports child, 3, fell into river

Image caption, A search is under way in the River Soar

By Olimpia Zagnat

BBC News, East Midlands

A major search has been launched following reports a three-year-old child has fallen into a river in Leicester.

All emergency services, including water rescue teams, are in attendance and searching for the child in the River Soar.

Leicestershire Police said the reports came in at about 17:00 GMT.

Officers and rescue teams are at the scene near Middleton Street, in Aylestone.

Image source, Leicester Media

Image caption, Water rescue teams and police were called out

A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service said: “This is a police-led incident. We can confirm we were alerted at 17:05 and still have water rescue teams at the scene.”

Police said the search would not continue throughout the night, but would resume in the morning.

At the scene: Tim Parker, BBC Leicester

Bright spotlights have been punctuating the night sky along the swollen river and canal around Aylestone in the past few hours.

Search and rescue staff are carefully working along the waterside in the direction of the city centre.

It must be pretty treacherous down there. Police are asking people to avoid the towpaths as their work continues. You can hear the water in the river rushing by.

There are a few bystanders still wandering around, with more questions than can be answered right now.

Alison Clay, who lives in Aylestone, had been walking her dog along Sanvey Lane.

“A helicopter was flying around after 5pm and lots of emergency vehicles soon came,” she said.

“There’s a drone in the sky still now. I only know what I’ve read on Facebook but it sounds terrible.”

Adam, who did not want to give his surname, from Knighton, was with his daughter on bikes.

He said: “We usually ride along the river by Aylestone Meadows but the police told us not to go tonight when we went down there.

“The parents must be absolutely beside themselves.”

Image caption, Emergency calls started to come in at about 17:00 GMT

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