'Think twice, stay off the ice' - Clear warning on anniversary of tragic incident which killed four boys

Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight, their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, had been “playing” on the frozen Babbs Mill Lake, in Kingshurst, Solihull, on December 11, 2022.

Everything changed in that awful moment as the ice fragmented and they fell through.

The boys had been at the lake in two separate groups, with Jack and other children initially going to skim stones before heading out onto the ice, and Finlay, Samuel and Thomas intending to feed bread to the ducks.

After they were rescued from the water by firefighters, Jack and Thomas both died at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital on December 11, while Finlay and Samuel both died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on December 12 and December 14 respectively.

Senior coroner Louise Hunt ruled their deaths were an “awful, tragic accident” at their inquest in Birmingham during July.

Martin Ward-White, head of operations for West Midlands Fire Service, was the incident commander called to the scene and today has urged people to follow water safety advice as the weather gets colder to prevent any future tragedies.

Speaking about responding to the call last year, he said: "I was hoping on route to get a call to stand down but the update was 'we've just pulled three of the boys out of the lake'. That was quickly followed by the fourth boy.

"I knew then when I turned up it was not going to be a nice incident.

"I turned up at Babbs Mill and as I was walking down to the lake that's when I first recognised the extent the crews had exposed themselves to risk. I saw two firefighters who were soaking wet.

"When I got down to the lake I saw the four boys receiving medical care but they were clearly in a poorly way. There was a lot of activity on the lake."

He said crews from the emergency services were still searching for two more people they thought at the time were in the water.

"When you are told about people submerged in water there is a 90-minute window – after 90 minutes the clinical and medical advice is they won't survive," he said.

"But we actually searched for three hours in very cold water. We had to make that decision after three hours to stop – that was a difficult decision."

Later, after it was announced they had died, there was an outpouring of grief from the community.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil and floral tributes, candles, children’s toys and balloons were all left at a makeshift shrine near the lake, adorned with messages of love for the boys and support for their families.

Mr Ward-White said it had also emotionally affected the crews who had responded to the incident.

He said: "You are thinking of the families, friends and the impact it will have on them.

"The crews that work in these situations are community firefighters. "These incidents have an impact on people. We are not superhuman.

"Some of our crews went back and laid flowers. That was part of their way to process it and pay their respects.

"From all the crews who attended, our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the boys."

A year on from the incident, he said it was important to remind people about the dangers of frozen lakes, ponds and open spaces of water.

He said: "We can't change what happened 12 months ago but we want to use what people experienced to try and prevent it happening again.

"We have advice on our website. People should think twice, stay off the ice. If you see someone in distress in icy water, don't go in to try and save them. Dial 999.

"Pet owners when they are around frozen lakes should keep their dogs and animals under control.

"If they do go onto the ice don't follow them. Again the message there is to call 999 and ask for the fire service."

Visit wmfs.net/safety/winter-water-safety for more information.