Man dies after slipping into freezing cold lake in London park

A man has died after being pulled from a freezing lake in a park in south east London.

Emergency services, including London Air Ambulance, rushed to Danson Park in Welling just before 4pm following reports of a person in the water.

According to the London Fire Brigade, the man slipped into the water and was rescued by a member of the public.

The man, believed to be aged in his 60s, was taken to hospital where he later died.

Initial reports on social media suggested that the man fell through ice on the lake as he attempted to help a dog.

According to eyewitnesses, several people had been walking on the frozen surface of the water earlier in the day.

Scotland Yard said the man’s death was being treated as “unexplained” and a spokesman confirmed his next of kin had been informed.

A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said they were called at 3.55pm to reports of a person in the water.

"One man slipped into the water and was rescued by a member of the public before the arrival of the brigade and the incident was over for firefighters at 4.20pm," she said.

A London ambulance statement said "multiple resources" were sent to the scene and the man "was taken as a priority to a major trauma centre”.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, LFB was called to help with a dog that was trapped in a frozen pond in Barnet, north London.