Body found in search for 14-year-old boy Daniel Halliday who died swimming in the River Mersey

9 July 2024, 11:16

A body has been found in the search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in the River Mersey.

Daniel Halliday was “jumping waves” in the water alongside his brother and friends on June 30 when he was swept downstream by the current, the Merseyside police said.

Police stood down their search the next day after scouring the area near the radar tower off Crosby Beach, Waterloo.

A body was found by the Coastguard off New Brighton on Monday night, Merseyside Police confirmed.

A statement from the force said: "Although the body has not yet been formally identified, officers remain in contact with the family of Daniel Halliday."

Halliday’s devastated family issued a statement after the teen went missing, hailing their “loving” son.

It said: "Our worst fear is that this tragic accident has taken our lovely boy from us.

"Daniel was jumping waves with his big brother who tried to save him but the current was too strong.

"Daniel is a loving son, brother, cousin, nephew, and grandson.

"The family are all devastated, and we hope that we will be allowed our privacy at this time. Thank you."

Tributes poured for the 14-year-old after his disappearance, with charity An Hour For Others, where Daniel spent much of the last two years, hailing him as a “unique little soul” who “always loved having a laugh.”

The Facebook post read: “Everyone at An Hour For Others are devastated at the loss of 14yr old Daniel Halliday on crosby beach.

“Daniel was a big part of our children's groups for the last 2 years and we shared so many amazing memories together in that time. Daniel was a unique little soul and always loved having a laugh with staff and kids.

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“He got involved in everything and got so much from our little community, he absolutely loved going to Wales last year and we'll always remember our special 2 days.

“We are all numb at the minute trying to make sense of what's happened.

“We are in contact with Daniels family and will be supporting them throughout, out of respect for Daniels family we ask that they have privacy at this time as they deal with what's happened.”

Following the incident, more than 1,700 people signed a petition calling for greater safety measures at Crosby Beach.

Organisers wrote: "We ask our local council and the relevant authorities to urgently address this issue and ensure proper safety measures including the presence of lifeguards at Crosby Beach and the water marina from June through September."

In response to the campaign a representative from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution: "Local authorities work in partnership with the RNLI when determining what lifeguard cover is needed where, with factors such as number of visitors, the beach profile, hazards, risks and incident history all inputting to the decision-making process."