Child Pulled From River In Scout Trip Dies

A six-year-old boy has died after being pulled from a river in Suffolk on an organised trip with a Beaver Scout group.

Alan Lock was found by officers who were called to Ballington Bridge, in Sudbury on Tuesday evening.

He was found near a bridge in the area, shortly before 7.30pm and was later taken to hospital in Bury St Edmunds, but later died.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said: "Sadly the six-year-old boy who was recovered from the river in Sudbury this evening has since died in the West Suffolk Hospital."

She added: "Our sympathies are with the boy’s family as police now investigate the exact circumstances of the death."

The East of England Ambulance Service said it had been contacted by police and they dispatched an officer and two ambulances to the scene.

The spokesman also said an investigation was underway and the area near the riverbank had been cordoned off while inquiries continue.

The youngster was part of a group of Beavers, aged between six and eight, who were taking part in a supervised walk along the riverbank.

It is believed there were between 15 and 20 children and adults in the party.

Under Scout guidelines, there would be four or five adults accompanying a group of such a size.

The Scout Association spokesman said: "They have done this walk a few times before along the side of the riverbank - it is something they do of a summer evening.

"Unfortunately the young person fell in and drowned.

"The question of how the young person ended up in the water is part of an investigation by the local authorities and by us."

(JM/BMcC)