A group of ten people were caught sliding on the frozen lake in the middle of Sefton Park, leaving onlookers appalled following the tragic death of four young boys who died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull, Birmingham. Footage captured in Liverpool shows unidentified people sliding across the ice, some apparently dancing while another plays football. The entire lake appeared frozen as temperatures dropped to -7C on Thursday morning, according to the Met Office.
Nick Robinson, 49, is said to have captured the footage as he met a group of friends at the Boathouse Kiosk for a drink around 4pm on Wednesday.
From the shores of the lake, he spotted a dozen people walking on the ice, which left him “astounded” that adults could “risk their lives” after the Solihull story.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “All I could think is there’s no way these people haven’t seen the story of these little boys in Solihull and I was stunned. One woman went on the ice, then like lemons, the others followed until there were ten of them on the ice.
“A woman walking past their jogging yelled at them to get off the ice, but they didn’t listen. They were on the ice for 15 to 20 minutes, then two guards came and yelled at them to get off the ice.
Nick continued: “They all started shouting profanity and one of the women, who was in her late twenties to early thirties, yelled ‘who do you think you’re talking to, we’re pretty old to make our own decisions.” The guards gave them a reprimand and then they finally walked off the ice, but the abuse continued.
“At one point they were getting really close to the darkest part of the ice, where it’s thinnest.”
The footage was only shared four days after four boys died after falling into a frozen lake at Babbs Mill Nature Reserve. Finlay Butler, eight, his brother Sam Butler, six, and their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, all died in the tragic crash, along with ten-year-old Jack Johnson. Six-year-old Sam became the fourth boy to die after being taken to hospital in critical condition but ‘lost his fight for life’ on Wednesday.
Nick said: “When I saw the reporter break down on TV, it was such an impactful moment. These little boys have presents under the tree that will never be opened now.
“I don’t think they [the people on the ice] understand that it’s not just their lives that would be affected if something happened, it would be their families as well.”
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Earlier today another man was pictured walking alone on the middle lake in Sefton Park. Liverpool City Council slammed the band on the lake, calling them ‘fat’ for ‘putting their lives at risk’.
A spokesperson told the Liverpool Echo: “The ice may look thick on this lake, but these adults are even thicker to think it’s going to work on it. Given what we’ve all seen tragically unfold at Solihull this weekend, it is with great sadness to see people putting their lives at risk in this way.
“The fact that they were asked to come down and were dismissive and abusive makes the situation even worse. Signs have been erected warning of the dangers in all of our parks and lakes and we implore anyone not to approach of an icy body, water.
“Better to admire the beauty and wonder of these frozen landscapes, than to fall victim to their deadly trap.”
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