‘It all happened so quickly’ – swimmer dies at water park

melissa.jones@reachplc.com

ASWIMMER who died at Cotswold Water Park was a man in his twenties from Wiltshire, police have confirmed.

The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon and despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he could not be saved.

It was reported that the victim was trying to rescue a dog when he got into difficulties in Lake 32, off Spratsgate Lane, near Somerford Keynes.

But further information has come to light and it is understood this was not the case.

Two bystanders jumped in to try and reach the man, but their attempts were in vain.

Agnes Baron saw a man ‘in his fifties’ and another aged ‘around 20 years old’ swam towards where the individual concerned was spotted in the water.

The incident, which happened at lunchtime on Tuesday, saw a co-ordinated response from the emergency

services.

Underwater search teams worked well into the evening to try and locate the man, who is understood to be in his twenties.

Just before 9pm, Gloucestershire Constabulary sadly confirmed that the man’s body had been found.

Agnes, 37, said her attention was drawn to someone ‘around 50m from the bank,’ as she was talking to her friend.

“I saw he was struggling in the water and shouting for help,” she said.

“I ran and raised the alarm. A man who I think was in his fifties jumped into the water accompanied by a strong looking man in his twenties.

“They got to where he was last seen but could not find him.

“It all happened so quickly.” A spokesman for the park, which is located in Shorncote near Cirencester, released a statementwhich said: “The thoughts of everyone at the Cotswold Water Park Trust are with the family and friends of the young man who tragically lost his life at Keynes Country Park on Tuesday.

“Our thanks go to all the emergency services and site operators who worked tirelessly during the search.

“The Trust will not be making any further statements whilst investigation are ongoing.”

Agnes said she wishes she could have done more to help during the incident, which she estimates ‘happened in about five minutes.’

She stayed by the lake near where the kayaks are hired hoping for some news.

“I can’t swim very well so I felt helpless,” she added.

“The more I think about it the more I feel sorry I couldn’t do anything.

“It was a busy day at the park. Everyone had gone there to enjoy the sun.

“I feel really sad this has happened. My thoughts are with the man’s family and friends.”

Lake 32 is used for wild water swimming and is assessed annually by the Environment Agency.

The park is leased by Cotswold Water Park Trust and run by a separate management company.