Worker drowned in lake

Mr Jones went for a swim with a colleague in the man-made lake

A worker frantically tried to pull his drowning colleague from a lake, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Jones, 17, went for a swim with a colleague at the man-made lake they were helping to build at Paper Mill Farm near Basingstoke, in Hampshire, in August.

Co-worker Gary Long described how he managed twice to pull his friend from beneath the water, but when he sank for a third time, he was too tired to save him.

After reviewing the evidence, the coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Floral tributes

The body of Mr Jones, from Hamel Rise, Hemsworth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, was recovered from the lake by a diving team.

At Basingstoke Coroner's Court, Mr Long explained how he had jumped into the freezing water first and that Mr Jones followed.

But moments later he said, the 17-year-old began to shout that he was in difficulty.

Another colleague, Richard Carrington, told the hearing he had tried to swim out to help but was forced back by the cold.

Mr Jones had only worked at the site for two days.

Outside the court, Mr Jones' family urged people to learn from the tragedy so that similar accidents might be avoided.

They then returned to the scene of the accident to lay floral tributes.