Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kieren Williams

Center Parcs: Police called in to probe Christmas Eve death of boy in pool at Longleat

Police have been called into probe the death of a young boy who died after a tragic incident in a pool at Center Parcs.

Officers are now working to establish the circumstances around the death of the four-year-old boy who was pulled from the water.

Emergency services raced to the popular holiday resort in Longleat, Wiltshire, after the horror which took place around 11am on Christmas Eve.

They have said they do not think there are "any suspicious circumstances" around the death, but are set to complete a post-mortem as their probe continues.

A statement issued by Wiltshire Police today said: “We are working alongside HM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon following the death of a four-year-old boy at Center Parcs, Longleat.

Police are working to establish the circumstances of a four-year-old boy's death (Alamy Stock Photo)

“A post-mortem will take place in due course, however, at this time there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and our thoughts remain with the family at this difficult time.”

The young boy died in the resort’s sub-tropical swimming pool, which was closed due to the “serious medical incident”.

One person staying at Center Parcs for Christmas said at the time: “Thankfully we didn’t see anything. We noticed a big crowd all leaving the plaza.

“We were headed back to our lodge to have lunch before swimming. I checked my phone and saw the pool was closed due to an incident.

The incident took place in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise at Center Parcs (Center Parcs)

“Obviously that’s all we knew originally.

“The plaza is all open, the parc market, gift shops, etc – there is just a temporary barrier across the entrance to the pool itself.”

Center Parcs issued a statement on Christmas Eve which said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that a young guest has passed away at Longleat Forest today.

“We are offering our support to the family and to our employees who provided immediate assistance.

“Our thoughts remain with the family at this very difficult time.”

The 'serious medical incident' took place around 11am Christmas Eve (Center Parcs)

The pool was reopened on Christmas Day morning, Center Parcs confirmed.

Following the incident, one mum-of-five who had been staying at the leisure complex said the atmosphere was "very quiet" and the park's TV channel displayed a message saying the pool was shut following a "serious medical incident".

One woman said her family watched the horror unfold this morning.

She added: "My daughter and son saw it as well - she’s quite upset.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.