Emergency services in Kingsthorpe

A multi-agency operation involving fire crews, police office and the ambulance service saw a rescue plan get underway in Northampton yesterday evening after three boys became lost and trapped in the town's drainage system.

Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service was called at 6:37pm by a boy who reported that he was lost in Northampton’s sewage system alongside two of his friends.

An operation to locate and rescue the three young people began with a coordinated response from all three emergency services.

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Emergency services in Kingsthorpe

When crews and officers arrived, they worked together to locate the boys who were eventually found and rescued in the Kingsthorpe area.

During the operation, road closures were put in place including shutting Kingsthorpe Road and Washington Street.

Group Commander for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, Kevin Hardwick, said: “There tends to be two groups of urban explorers – people who try to do it in an organised way with safety in mind, and young people who are ill-prepared and ill-skilled, who put themselves and others at risk.

“Thankfully, these three boys were not injured in any way but if for some reason they were unable to call us to come and rescue them, the events of last night could have taken a completely different turn.

“We understand that young people want to have fun but they need to understand the dangers that this kind of activity brings as well as understanding that the very stretched emergency services who attended the scene yesterday could have been needed elsewhere.