Frozen lakes warning to parents

Derwentwater in the Lake District is popular with visitors

Parents are risking the lives of their children by allowing them to wander on to ice-covered lakes in Cumbria, police have warned.

Officers have reported seeing young children 150ft (45m) from the shore on frozen Derwentwater in the Lake District in recent days.

Some have taken boulders on to the frozen lake in an attempt to break the ice, which is described as "unstable".

A police spokesman said falling into freezing water could prove fatal.

There have been no reports of injuries.

But the police spokesman said: "On Saturday several adults and children were seen on Derwentwater near Kettlewell car park.

"The ice at the lake edge can best be described as unstable and they are not only risking their own lives but putting the lives of others at risk too.

"This is a very dangerous situation, which is made worse by some taking boulders onto the ice and trying to break it where they stand.

"If someone fell into the water, the current temperatures being what they are, it could be fatal.

"We would urge everyone to stay off the ice."