Leicester river - latest: Nicola Bulley diving expert Peter Faulding joins search for missing two-year old boy

The search area for missing toddler Xielo Maruziva has been widened as specialist experts have been called in to help with the hunt.

A Leicesterishire Police spokesperson said: “The search parameter has since been widened, with the operation focusing on the stretch of river around Watermead Park and Birstall over the weekend.

“We continue to be grateful to the support we’ve been shown by the public and colleagues from other forces and agencies.

“We’re in regular contact with Xielo’s family and are continuing to support them in what remains a very upsetting time. Our search operation to locate Xielo continues to widen as we know he may have travelled further from where he went into the water – and potentially outside our force area.”

The diving expert who joined the hunt for missing mother Nicola Bulley last year has been called in to help find a missingtoddler in Leicestershire.

Peter Faulding, 61, who claimed to have found Ms Bulley’s body within six minutes in the River Wyre, Lancashire, has been recruited to find missing two-year-old Xielo Maruziva.

The “creative little boy” has been been missing since 18 February after he fell into the River Soar, Leicester, while out with his family in Aylestone Meadows.

Brett Wells, Chairman of St Andrews Football Club based in the meadows told The Independent: “It seems to be getting worse. Leicestershire as a whole is getting worse for flooding.

“We’ve had a few games called off already, more than any other recent year I can remember.

“Morale is so low because of this awful tragedy and the weather is so bad too.

“We don’t know why flooding is getting worse. It may not just be the climate - it could be the council maintenance of the drainage.

“It’s becoming a swamp in the middle of Leicester. I took the drone out the other day and you can see the state of it.

“It’s massively important for families to have a safe green space to visit. It’s invaluable and so rare these days.”

A 65-year-old nurse said she was standing on a bridge when she saw Xielo’s father jump in to save his son on Sunday.

The woman, who didn’t want to be named, told the BBC: “I didn’t see the child fall in, but I heard shouting and at that point I didn’t know what was going on.

“I was running to tell the man to get out the water because it was absolutely torrent. I saw the man disappear under the arch. Then I knew there was a child in the water and I tried to look myself.”

One farmer, who runs a shop next to the scene where Xielo vanished told The Independent: “I’m a farmer we know how bad it is. It’s been really wet the past few days. The whole of the UK is really struggling as well.

“It started in October last year and continued. No one in this country has known rain like it.

“It is damaging. People want to get out more since Covid and they can’t. You should be able to take the kids out for half term and walk the dogs safely but you can’t get across this bridge anymore.

“We put warning signs up with the police, the fire brigade who do a sterling job but this tragedy can still happen.

“All I’m thinking about is that poor family.”

Heavy rains across a popular nature reserve are thought to have created dangerous conditions which saw a toddler completely disappear beneath its brown, murky floodwaters.

The frantic search for Xielo Maruziva, 2, ongoing since Sunday evening, has been hampered by “hammering rain” after he fell into the swollen River Soar.

His father, who was rushed to hospital having tried to save him, revealed his complete devastation at losing his “charming and creative little boy” who had just started nursery in the overflowing water.

Thermal drones, sniffer dogs and rescuers in kayaks or on their hands and knees are prodding poles along the 8.8-hectare Aylestone Meadows - the closest green space for Leicester’s 360,000 people - for any sign of the missing toddler as locals pray for his safe return.

Before his disappearance, families would march their children to Leicester’s largest nature reserve where they could investigate nearly 1,000 different species of damsel and dragonflies, frogs, badgers, otters, herds of grazing Longhorn cows and even a species of willow tree never seen before.

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Assistant Chief Constable Michaela Kerr has delivered an update on the search for missing two-year-old Xielo Maruziva as the search enters its sixth day.

She said: “I’d like to begin by thanking everybody that’s been involved in the search this week

“The circumstances have been incredibly difficult, as have the weather conditions and we really appreciate both the support of the public and also the professionalism and absolute determination of colleagues from within Leicestershire police, from partner agencies and other forces as we all continue to put every effort we can into finding Xielo.

“I want to continue to extend my absolute thoughts to Xielo’s loving family.”

She explained the force will continue to use specialist resources such as divers and boats to try and locate the missing boy over the weekend.

Officers are also using drones and the National Police Air Service, alongside advanced technology within the water and specialist marine dogs.

People have left messages on social media in support of the rescue effort after the missing toddler was named by police.

One person said: “So heartbreaking. Beautiful little boy. Thinking of the family and all emergency services and volunteers undertaking the search.”

Another said: “Beautiful child. Thoughts with his family and all those working with them as well as on the meadows search x”

And another wrote: “Heartbreaking so sad thoughts and prayers with his poor family.