A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Tommy told Sky News: “They were all playing on the ice, one got their legs stuck in the ice and then… his friends went to go and save him, but they all fell in.
“When it was summer, we used to go in the woods and play hide and seek next to the lake. But I wasn’t here yesterday.”
“It’s so sad, I am upset,” Tommy said, as he described how the community was waiting to hear the names of the other boys involved.
“They want them [the police] to reveal more information about it just to make sure who it is.”
One of the boys who did not survive has been named locally as 10-year-old Jack Johnson, who has been described to Sky News as a “hero” because he went into the lake to try to save others.
Advertisement
A search is continuing after unconfirmed reports up to six children may have fallen in, but authorities warned it is “no longer a search and rescue operation”.
The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out.
They were taken to hospital but police said three of them “could not be revived”.
Reports from the scene and social media videos indicate they were playing on the ice and fell through, the fire service said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:52
Officer ‘tried to punch through the ice’
Search teams were still using boats and wading in the lake on Monday – and police said they would continue until they are “100% certain” there are no other victims.
One of the first officers on the scene entered the lake in his uniform and tried to punch through the ice to help the boys, said Superintendent Richard Harris from West Midlands Police.
Members of the public also jumped in.
Firefighters and specialist water teams arrived at the lake and managed to pull the boys out. They were given CPR and taken to hospital but all four arrived in a critical condition.
Police said it’s currently unclear how long they were in the freezing water.
One witness told Sky News he’d seen firefighters smashing the ice and a number of people in distress.
Image: A search of the lake was continuing on Monday
Image: The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out
The children’s names haven’t yet been released and police said they were supporting their “absolutely devastated” families.
The boys’ school friends are also getting support.
Image: Emergency workers on the lake on Sunday evening
Teams in boats used torches to continue searching the lake overnight.
One police officer involved in the initial search suffered mild hypothermia and was taken to hospital but has now been discharged.
Superintendent Harris said at Monday lunchtime that they were still trying to piece together exactly what happened but no one had contacted them to report anyone else missing.
But because of conflicting reports about how many children were on the lake, the search will continue until police are certain no one else went in.
Image: Two women left flowers at the scene on Monday
Image: Members of West Midlands Fire Service pay tribute to three boys who died after falling through ice into a lake at Kingshurst
Image: The lake on Sunday morning. Pic: Sarah Lovatt
Local MP Saqib Bhatti visited the scene on Monday and praised emergency services for their “heroic” efforts.
“The (search) operation went on all night in these really tough conditions,” he said, adding that “the whole community will be feeling the pain of this”.
Police have asked people not to speculate or share any video of the incident.
Richard Stanton, area commander for West Midlands Fire Service, urged parents and carers to remind their children about the dangers of frozen water.
He said: “Please, adults and children alike, stay away from open water. Under no circumstances venture onto ice, regardless how thick or safe you think this ice may be.”
It has become almost impossible to book a driving test on the government website due to bots on the booking system, driving instructors have told Sky News.
The only official way to book a practical car driving test is through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website.
New test slots are released by the DVSA at 6am every Monday, but “no matter how fast I am, there’s nothing available”, said Aman Sanghera, a driving instructor based in west London.
Image: Driving instructor Aman Sanghera wants ‘stronger oversight and regulation’ from the DVSA
When asked about the cause, she said: “All of the tests are taken by bots, they are definitely taking over the booking system.”
In this context, bots are automated software designed to mimic human behaviour and programmed to carry out actions like searching for and reserving driving test appointments on the official government website much faster than humans can.
Individuals and companies use bots to block-book driving test slots and then resell them at a profit, which is not illegal, although it is a violation of the DVSA’s terms of use.
Recent data shows the DVSA has closed over 800 business accounts for misuse of its booking service in the past two years.
Image: It takes five months on average for a test in England – unless you pay a middleman
Ms Sanghera, who has been in the trade for over a decade, said the usage of bots started a few months ago “but is now getting out of hand”.
She said: “I’ve actually heard about driving instructors being approached by certain individuals to then take on their IDs to log in and to run this scam.
“I struggle to actually book a test for my students, which means that by the time my students are logging in, they’ve got no chance.”
Driving instructors can book driving tests on behalf of their pupils using a dedicated service, allowing them to bypass the general queue and potentially secure test slots more efficiently.
As a result, Ms Sanghera said students are “forced to go to third-party sites” to secure “the same test dates which are then available later on during the day at a premium rate of like £200-£300”.
She added: “Given that the DVSA is a government-regulated body, one would expect a more robust and fair system to ensure affordability and accessibility for all candidates.”
Image: The long waiting lists and high demand for tests has led some to take advantage
The standard test fee is £62, offered by the DVSA, which is responsible for carrying out driving tests in Great Britain.
The biggest concern for the driving instructors Sky News has spoken to, including Ms Sanghera, is “the fact that students are being exploited”.
When Ahmed Ali struggled to find a practical test on the DVSA website, he turned to third-party sites – a decision he now regrets.
Image: Ahmed Ali started looking for a test two years ago
He said: “I’ve spent about £650 on driving tests, and I’ve sat zero tests. I’ve given all this money to third-parties that look for cancellations so they could try to get you a faster test.”
But the 20-year-old said that despite making the payments, he “didn’t hear back from them again”, which is illegal.
“When you lose all that money, you get to a point where you can’t really afford to find another driving test,” he said.
“I just feel very frustrated because I’ve spent all this money, all this time into driving, and I haven’t sat a single driving test.”
The DVSA urged applicants to only book tests via the official Gov.uk website and told Sky News it “deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly”.
“These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing,” it said.
From Tuesday, the DVSA will require learner drivers to provide 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their car driving test without losing the test fee, up from the current three days.
Also part of the DVSA’s crackdown to reduce waiting times is a consultation expected to launch in spring 2025 “to streamline the driving test booking process” and “tighten terms and conditions”.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
The comedian has previously denied the accusations, and said all his sexual relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
Met Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
The last blast furnaces left operating in Britain could see their fate sealed within days, after their Chinese owners took the decision to cut off the crucial supply of ingredients keeping them running.
Jingye, the owner of British Steel in Scunthorpe, has, according to union representatives, cancelled future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
The upshot is that they may have to close next month – even sooner than the earliest date suggested for its closure.
The fate of the blast furnaces – the last two domestic sources of virgin steel, made from iron ore rather than recycled – is likely to be determined in a matter of days, with the Department for Business and Trade now actively pondering nationalisation.
The upshot is that even as Britain contends with a trade war across the Atlantic, it is now working against the clock to secure the future of steelmaking at Scunthorpe.
The talks between the government and Jingye broke down last week after the Chinese company, which bought British Steel out of receivership in 2020, rejected a £500m offer of public money to replace the existing furnaces with electric arc furnaces.
More on China
Related Topics:
The sum is the same one it offered to Tata Steel, which has shut down the other remaining UK blast furnaces in Port Talbot and is planning to build electric furnaces – which have far lower carbon emissions.
Image: These steel workers could soon be out of work
However, the owners argue that the amount is too little to justify extra investment at Scunthorpe, and said last week they were now consulting on the date of shutting both the blast furnaces and the attached steelworks.
Since British Steel is the main provider of steel rails to Network Rail – as well as other construction steels available from only a few sites in the world – the closure would leave the UK more reliant on imports for critical infrastructure sites.
However, since the site belongs to its Chinese owners, a decision to nationalise the site would involve radical steps government officials are wary of taking.
They also fear leaving taxpayers exposed to a potentially loss-making business for the long run.
The dilemma has been heightened by the sharp turn in geopolitical sentiment following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The incipient trade war and threatened cut in American support to Europe have sparked fresh calls for countries to act urgently to secure their own supplies of critical materials, especially those used for defence and infrastructure.
Gareth Stace, head of UK Steel, the industry lobby group, said: “Talks seem to have broken down between government and British Steel.
“My advice to government is: please, Jonathan Reynolds, Business Secretary, get back round that negotiating table, thrash out a deal, and if a deal can’t be found in the next few days, then I fear for the very future of the sector, but also here for Scunthorpe steelworks.”