A police officer was hospitalised after attempting to punch through ice to rescue four boys who had fallen into a frozen lake on Sunday.

The boys fell into a lake in Babbs Mill Park in Kinghurst, a nature park in Solihull.

Three of the boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, have died, while another, aged 6, remains in critical condition.

Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, said: “One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice, that officer had some mild hypothermia and has now been released from hospital.”

West Midlands Police said that there is “no suggestion” anyone else missing, but that officers continue to search Solihull lake to be "100% certain that there is no one else in the water."

Worcester News:

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, said: “Yesterday evening we had a number of different reports suggestion numbers of young people that may have been on the lake.

“Those reports do not match the children that we rescued from the lake yesterday.

“However, we have to be 100% certain that there is no one else in the lake.

“It is important to stress that we have had no contact from anybody suggesting that anyone else is missing, but until we are 100% certain we will be carrying on the search.”

Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander, told the press conference: “When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children.

“Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.

“The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.”

It comes after a weekend of snow and freezing frost with the severe conditions set to continue over the next few days, including temperatures as low as minus 10C.