Specialist search teams scrambled to a quiet residential street on Monday evening following reports of a person getting into difficulty in the water. A huge emergency services response raced to Crowswood Drive, in Stalybridge, shortly after 6.30pm.
The streets were a hub of activity, with groups of concerned onlookers watching as the teams headed through the woodland to search the waters. Further details about the casualty involved have not yet been confirmed.
Specialist search teams from the fire service and Greater Manchester Police were deployed to the scene, at Carrbrook Angling Club. Witnesses described them arriving 'within minutes' of hearing people screaming for help.
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A large cordon was erected on Crowswood Drive, from the junction with Whimberry Drive. Technical response units, multiple fire engines and the GMP's underwater search unit were in attendance at the scene.
It follows on from another day of hot temperatures across the region. In recent weeks, campaigns from Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service have warned of the dangers of open water.
The initial call was made shortly before 6.30pm on Monday evening, with the extensive search expected to continue throughout the night. An underwater drone was also brought in to grid search the waters.
One visibly distressed woman, who lives just metres away from the cordon said: "As soon as I looked outside I knew something was wrong. People don’t realise the dangers of open water it’s so scary. As soon as it’s hot people don’t realise how it can take your life."
"This is heartbreaking” said another woman. "It makes you not want to let your kids away from the front porch. We keep hearing stories of people drowning in open water. They don’t understand the dangers of it."
In what is evidently a close-knit community, groups of distressed neighbours hugged one another beside the cordon as extensive search teams headed towards the waters throughout the evening. Others described the horror of hearing people screaming for help shortly before the emergency services arrived.
Another resident of Crowswood Drive said the waters are used for fishing and despite the soaring temperatures, he has never seen people swimming in it. "There are lots of dog walkers in the woods and it can get very busy on a hot day, but the water is only used by people who are fishing.
"Even in all this hot weather I have only seen two people in rowing boats. This is just heartbreaking to hear, and you don't expect it to happen so close to home.
"I got home around 6pm and not long after I heard people screaming and shouting for help. It was just minutes later that there were loads of ambulances pulling up and the area was closed off shortly after."
The North Ambulance Service (NWAS) said they had sent "a number of resources" including the Hazardous Area Response Team to the incident. Police confirmed the search was likely to continue throughout the night.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "We were called shortly before 6.30pm to a report of a person getting into difficulty in water off Crowswood Drive, Stalybridge. Emergency services and specialist search teams are at the scene."
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service added: "At around 6.30pm on Monday, August 15, firefighters were called out to Crowswood Drive, Staybridge to reports of someone getting into difficulty in the water. A number of fire service teams, including a boat crew and Technical Response Unit, are working with other emergency service search teams at the scene and the incident remains ongoing.”
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