Body of missing schoolboy Andrew Collings recovered from River Cam

A 12-year-old boy has been found dead in the River Cam in Cambridge after he was seen entering the water last night.

The body of the boy, named locally as Andrew Collings who attended the city's Netherhall School, was recovered at about 3am.

Cambridgeshire Police and other emergency services began searching after reports that the boy did not resurface after going into the River Cam at Lammas Land, the Fen Causeway, on the outskirts of Cambridge at about 6pm.

Inspector Kate Scott said: "Emergency services recovered the body of the boy, who was deceased, at about 3am."

Principal Caroline McKenney said: "The school extends its deepest condolences to Andy's family.

"When the time is right we will speaking to his family and students at the school to find a suitable way of remembering him."

According to the Cambridge News, the boy's family watched as officers, paramedics, fire crews and a police helicopter searched the water. Rescue teams were seen dredging the river.

One witness told the paper: "The police helicopter was up and the firefighters were everywhere. They were going up and down the river looking for a child.

"We heard that four boys had gone into the river but only three came out and one didn't."

A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said: "We received the call at 6.11pm to an incident involving a 12-year-old boy in water.

"We sent three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and a land crew from East Anglia Air Ambulance."

A police spokeswoman said the boy's death was not being treated as suspicious but it was not clear if he fell into the water or went in deliberately before getting into difficulty.