Children fall into icy lake remain in critical condition 

The four children who were rescued from an icy lake near Birmingham remain in critical condition in hospital. 

It is believed two children were playing on the ice in Babbs Mill Park, Kingshurst when they fell in and two other children attempted to rescue them. 

Search operations have continued as emergency crews were told six people were seen on the ice. Police have not confirmed they are looking for anyone else at this stage. 

But West Midlands fire chief Richard Stanton said “this would no longer be a search and rescue operation” due to the coldness of the water and age of those who had entered and the amount of time they would have been in the water. 

The ambulance service said during a Sunday news conference that its resources had been stood down. 

Supt Richard Harris of West Midlands police said during the Sunday press conference that officers would “hold the scene tonight” – he was unable to confirm if they were looking for anyone else. 

He did confirm one of the officers had suffered “mild hypothermia” during the rescue operation.

By the time firefighters arrived at the lake on Sunday afternoon, police officers and members of the public were involved in rescue attempts.

Temperatures were reported at around 1C during the time the children were in the lake. The temperatures plummeted to about -3C overnight. 

The four children received medical treatment on-site. Two of the children are at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the other two at Heartlands Hospital. 

Met Office issues warnings about ice during cold snap

Mr McVittie added: “There are no updates. They were all in critical condition when they arrived in hospital.”

The officials have declined to provide any further information about the children. 

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street tweeted to say it had been a “deeply concerning incident”, adding: “I know we’ll all be praying for the children to pull through”.

The Met Office has issued a warning about the dangers of playing on ice during the UK’s cold snap. 

A spokesperson said: “With temperatures set to struggle to get much above freezing over the coming days across much of the country, stretches of water such as rivers and ponds are at risk of freezing.

“While frozen rivers and ponds can be fascinating, they can be dangerous and a hazard to life.”