Man who died after being pulled from canal is named

Emergency services at the scene. Photograph by Ash Milnes

A 60-year-old man who died after being rescued from a canal in Mirfield on Sunday has been named by police.

Police say Charles Newby’s death is being treated as non-suspicious.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said Mr Newby, who was travelling on the boat with a 32-year-old man, left Mirfield at around 4pm and had travelled around half-a-mile to Ravensthorpe.

The other man left the boat to open the lock when the Mr Newby fell into the canal. His friend made two attempts to rescue him, but ran to raise the alarm when he was unable to pull him from the canal.

Emergency services were mobilised to the River Calder at around 8pm on Sunday to reports of a person stranded in the water.

Fire crews from Mirfield, Leeds, Rothwell, Ossett and Rastrick, police, the Hazardous Area Response Team and the police helicopter were initially deployed to the scene at Ravensthorpe Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury.

It was thought Mr Newby, of Oxford Road, Gomersal, may have been downstream from the bridge where crews were sent.

A heat source which had been picked up by the police helicopter’s thermal imaging camera on the left hand side of the river turned out to be a false alarm and after a search of the area, emergency services received further information suggesting the he was in another location.

Police helicopter at the scene of the rescue. Photograph by Ash Milnes

All resources were moved around a quarter of a mile upstream from the original location, where another heat source was picked up.

Mr Newby was located and pulled from the river, near Calder Road, by fire crews and paramedics carried out CPR at the scene.

He was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, but later died.

While his death is not being treated as suspicious, any witnesses are asked to contact Kirklees CID via 101.

An inquest into Mr Newby’s death will be opened at Bradford Coroner’s Court tomorrow.