Father was watching news about heatwave drownings when the police knocked at his door and said his teenage son was missing in lake

Published: 01:20, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 01:21, 24 June 2026 The grieving father of a teenager who died in a lake in Cheshire has warned young people about the dangers of open water swimming as Britain braces for its 'hottest ever day'. David-Junior Tita, 17, from Crewe, died at Pickmere Lake near Knutsford after entering the water with friends during record-breaking temperatures at the end of last month. He was reported missing before his body was found at around 5pm on Tuesday, May 26. The news came as a huge shock to his father, who had been watching the news on television and listening to a report about a teenager dying in water when police arrived at his door to deliver the devastating news.  David Tita Snr was shocked as his son could not swim and told him he was going to the gym for the day. He paid tribute to his son, who he said was a 'hard-working' and 'popular' member of the community.  The grieving father also urged young people to 'risk assess' their activities and consider the impact on their families if things go wrong. David-Junior, 17, died at Pickmere Lake in Cheshire during a record-breaking heatwave David Senior Tita (pictured with his son David Junior) was watching the news when police came to his door to tell him his son had died The father is warning other youngsters to take care as a 40C heatwave threatens to close hundreds of schools early, with people warned not to travel as a heat dome spreading across Europe reaches the country. Some schools have cancelled trips and are setting work for students to do at home, after the Met Office warned the heatwave is expected to bring 'severe and significant impacts', including widespread health risks for many. The rail operator urged passengers to only travel if 'absolutely necessary'. Temperatures in southern England could hit at 40C on both Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 33C on Friday. The UKHSA has upgraded its heat health alerts from amber to red for Wednesday and Thursday for much of England. Other amber heat health alerts will continue to be active from now until the end of Friday. Red alerts warn of 'increased risk to life across the whole population, with significant impacts on older people'; 'significantly increased demand on all health and social care services' and the 'heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services'. David Snr urged any young people eager to cool off in water to opt for leisure centres, or open water areas with lifeguards, rather than taking risks with areas unsafe to swim. David Snr also urged any youngsters who do not know how to swim to avoid taking the risk at all.  The father said that on the morning of May 26, his son told him that he was going to go to the gym, which was part of his usual routine. The dad was working from home during the day and turned on the news in the afternoon. Then, police knocked on his door. He said he was expecting a delivery that day - a suit for the upcoming funeral of his father in Cameroon.  He told the Daily Mail: 'When I saw a car park in my driveway, I thought it was probably a delivery. 'I then saw the people get out of the car in suits, looking very professional. I thought they don't look like delivery drivers. 'I was watching the news at that time, it was already 6.25pm. I was listening to the story of the young person who had drowned in Lancashire. 'They asked if I was David's dad and I invited them in. 'I thought to myself, but David has never been in trouble with the police. 'So my initial thought was that somebody might have knocked him down in town. 'They sat me down in my living room and told me they had some very worrying news to disclose to me. 'They broke the news that David was declared missing at Pickmere Lake. 'I said, but David doesn't know how to swim, nor do I. We have never trained in swimming.  'He said he was going to the gym. I would not have expected him to have been swimming, to be at the open lake.' David Snr called his wife Pamela Fortoh, 51, to break the news that their son was missing.  Later that evening, the family were told that a body had been found at the bottom of the lake and that they would be called in for formal identification the next day. David Snr said: 'We had the most horrible night, I just kept looking outside thinking he may knock on the door. Even today, I still keep thinking he may come to the door. Your browser does not support iframes. Pamela Fortoh, 51, with her children Sergen, Valerie, Vassel-Hyden and David 'He was very much liked in the community. 'On the day he died, he saw our neighbour outside and helped him carry his shopping in. That is the kind of person he was. 'He was always ready to help and support people around him, always asking how he could help others. 'He was very jovial and always brought a smile to people's faces.' David Jnr had reportedly been at the lake with his coursemates and had initially stayed in the shallow section of the lake, as he could not swim. His father said he then met some more friends who he knew from college, who were jumping into a deeper part of the lake. The teenager followed their lead and jumped in - his first encounter with open water. Unable to swim, David Jnr could not pull himself back up to the surface, his father said.  David Jnr was one of 20 people who died in water during a heatwave in the last week of May - 15 of whom were aged under 18. 'My advice to youngsters,' he said, 'is please don't get into dangerous open water.' 'Risk assess every activity and think of what happens if it goes catastrophically wrong. 'Think of the impact that could have on you or on your family. 'Go to the gym, go to local swimming pools, go somewhere that has a lifeguard, that is safe. 'David walked out of his house one day and never came back. There is no duplicates, no second opportunity.' It had already been a year of terrible tragedy for the Tita family. David Jnr's aunt, his mother's younger sister, died in January during childbirth. The baby survived and is now in the care of David Snr and Pamela. Months later, David Snr's father also died at the age of 92. David Snr added: 'We flew to Cameroon in March for the funeral and we never thought we would be returning four months later for the funeral of our own son. 'It has been a year of misfortunes for our family. Of all the deaths that we have had, this has been the most torturous - the fact that he is just 17. 'And he has achieved so much, more than what I had achieved at 30.' David Jnr was found on Tuesday, May 26, after swimming on the Bank Holiday Monday the day before. On that day, four teenagers and one pensioner also died in open water. Among them was 13-year-old Reco Puttock, who was pronounced dead after being found in Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The same day, 16-year-old Lillianna Tomlinson was found dead at Warwickshire's Kingsbury Water Park. Heroic grandfather Phil Crow, 68, also died after suffering a cardiac arrest when he ran out to the sea trying to rescue his wife and granddaughter when they got into difficulty at Tregirls Beach in Padstow, Cornwall. Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, died at Alder Hey Children's Hospital after swimming at Formby beach. Three others had died the day before on a scorching Sunday.  In Lincoln, 15-year-old Declan Sawyer died after getting into difficulty at Swanholme Lakes. After rushing to save friends in the water Rushabh Patel, 28, died at the River Great Ouse in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. And an unnamed 72-year-old woman died off West Angle Beach in Pembrokeshire.    In the week that followed, Sam Murphy, 14, George Cuckoo, 15, Baltazar L'Qui, 14, Stephen Faulkner, 66, Charlie Noble, 16, Panashe Muchenje, 19, Greg Howes, 44, Mackenzie Swift, 11, Theresa Wheelhouse, 68 and Palwasha Akbar, 13, all lost their lives. Amber and red weather warnings in place for Wednesday and Thursday across the UK  Your browser does not support iframes. An unprecedented heatwave is hitting the UK once again this week, which has sparked fears over the impact of extreme heat on health, schools, workplaces and transport. The Met Office has issued a rare red 'danger to life' extreme heat warning for 'significant disruption to daily life' as the UK faces road, rail and air travel chaos. Temperatures are expected to smash the June record set in 1976 by several degrees as human–driven climate change intensifies the impact of a 'heat–dome' settling over western Europe. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned that London is 'cooking' during a major address at London Climate Action Week. The RNLI has also shared safety advice, aimed particularly at young people and teens, who accounted for the majority of the drowning fatalities during the last heatwave. Ross Macleod, RNLI Water Safety Manager, said: 'As the exceedingly hot weather continues, we are urging families to talk about the dangers of swimming and jumping into open water – this could be a conversation that saves lives. 'Cold water shock is a real danger, which we particularly want people to be aware of. The sea or open water may look inviting during hot weather, but it remains cold enough year-round to trigger cold water shock, which can cause uncontrollable gasping, increased heart rate, and can lead to panic and drowning very quickly. It's best to enter the water slowly to gradually acclimatise. 'Anyone who finds themselves in danger in the water should fight the panic instinct and Float to Live – try to relax and float on their back, with head tilted back, gently moving their hands and legs to help them stay afloat. This buys valuable time to get your breathing back under control, before then calling for help or swimming to safety. 'If you see someone else in danger – do not enter the water yourself as you could also end up in serious difficulty. Instead, remember phone, float, throw – phone 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard; tell the struggling person to float; throw them something buoyant, like a life ring. 'If you are visiting the coast this weekend, the safest option is a lifeguarded beach, where you should swim between the red and yellow flags. If you can't choose a lifeguarded beach, find out about your chosen beach before you visit – check weather and tide times and read local safety signage. 'By remembering this advice and sharing it widely, we can all play a role in helping to save more lives from drowning.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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