Police probe 'unexplained death' at Reading Festival

Police are working with organisers of the Reading Festival and the coroner’s office to investigate an unexplained death on the festival site in the early hours of this morning.

Officers were called at 5.15am following reports that a man in the campsite area off Cow Lane appeared to have stopped breathing. The man’s friends continued to help him as police and on-site security and medical staff made their way to the area.

All emergency services were on the scene immediately and paramedics worked for almost an hour on the 18-year-old at the scene, before rushing him to the Royal Berkshire Hospital just before 6am.

The teenager was pronounced dead shortly afterwards by doctors at the hospital.

He has not been formally identified but is believed to be from the Leighton Buzzard area of Bedfordshire. His family are travelling to Reading today to carry out formal identification.

There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, however, as a matter of course CID and scenes of crime were called out.

However, until a post mortem examination has been carried out, police are unable to give a cause of death. It is not known at this time when this examination will take place.

(gmcg)