MERSEYSIDE Fire and Rescue Service has issued a statement following the death of three children in Solihull.

Three boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, fell into an icy lake in Babbs Mill Park in Kinghurst, a nature park in Solihull, West Midlands, police said.

Emergency services were called to the lake on Sunday afternoon (December, 11) with reports that children, who had been playing on the ice, had fallen through and into a lake.

Police, fire and ambulance chiefs told a press conference on Sunday that four children had been rescued from the water in cardiac arrest and taken to hospital in critical condition.

Temperatures are thought to have plunged to 1C (34F) in the area at the time of the incident, falling to -3C (26F) overnight.

After their rescue, the children were rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital and Heartlands Hospital, but police said they could not be revived.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled from the icy water.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) have issued the following statement: "After the emerging tragedy in Solihull over the weekend, firefighters are issuing an urgent safety message to everyone across Merseyside to be particularly careful around water, especially in the current freezing conditions.

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"Any ice that forms on water is usually thin and will break easily, you should not venture out onto ice and keep well clear of the edges around water. Cold water shock takes hold in seconds and entering into water presents a bigger risk during the current cold spell. Please take care around water and stay safe."

Area Manager Mark Thomas added: "Our thoughts are very much with the families and friends of everyone involved in this awful and very sad incident. The tragedy unfolding in Solihull is a terrible reminder of the dangers around water, particularly in the current very cold weather.

"In Merseyside, we are never far from water and we would urge everyone to be particularly careful, open water is always a source of danger. Do not venture onto ice whatever the circumstances."

For guidance on staying safe near the water in winter please see this guidance from the Royal Life Saving Society UK.