A man and a child have died after the boat they were in overturned at a weir in the River Avon near Warwick.

The child was recovered from the water in Barford, shortly before 8.30pm on Saturday and the man was found shortly after 10pm following a full-scale search by emergency services.

Both were declared dead at the scene.

It is understood that the man, Julian Mynott, had taken his children out on the river in a rowing boat for a pleasure trip at Barford, near Warwick.

But he got into trouble on the fast flowing river, in what emergency services described as “white water” conditions on the River Avon.

It is thought the boat capsized after going down a three metre high weir in the river swollen with floodwater after recent heavy rain.

The bodies of Mr Mynott, who lived in Barford, and his son Freddie, aged 3, are understood to have both been recovered.

Two more children, who were pulled from the water earlier, are being treated in hospital.

The adult and three children had been in a small rowing boat which had capsized, the ambulance service said.

One of the youngsters is in a serious but stable condition in Birmingham Children's Hospital, Warwickshire Police said.

The second child is being treated at Warwick Hospital and is described as conscious but poorly.

The names of the dead will not be released until formal identification processes have been completed, police said.

Emergency services were first called to the weir incident at around 5.35pm, after the small boat the four were travelling in capsized.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said two of the children were pulled out of the water, which was in full flow, by a resident and a police officer.

One of the two youngsters had suffered a cardiac arrest and was given CPR by the resident and the policeman before paramedics arrived.

The child was taken to Warwick Hospital by land ambulance before being transferred to Birmingham's Children Hospital.

The incident prompted a major recovery operation involving Warwickshire Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Severn Area Rescue.

Inspector Adrian Davis, from Warwickshire Police, told reporters at the scene: “We were able to bring two children to the shore and in the last 40 minutes a third child has been brought to the shore.

“The river is obviously in full flow at the moment. The children are all young, under the age of ten, and it was a male adult who also entered the water.

“Residents of the village and the emergency services arrived first at the scene and residents were involved in rescuing the two children.

“The boat that the family was using has also been recovered.

“It has been an awful afternoon, a terrible incident that will be investigated fully by Warwickshire police.

“The residents of Barford have been extremely helpful and have done excellent work to assist us.”

Firefighters, ambulance crews, and both West Midlands air ambulances were scrambled to the scene.

West Midlands Ambulance service spokesman Jerry Pen-Ashman said: “One of the children was in cardiac arrest when they were removed from the water.

“We worked on the scene to resuscitate the child who regained cardiac rhythm en route to Warwick Hospital. The other child is conscious in hospital.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Jim Onions said: “We were mobilised just after 5.30pm with a crew from Leamington Spa and a specialist boat crew sent to the scene.

“We have a significant rescue operation underway. The conditions are a weir with a drop of two to three metres. These are very hazardous conditions for crews with officers wading in the water.”

Search operations for Mr Mynott continued after it had fallen dark using lighting equipment, and a body believed to be his was later found.

Warwickshire Fire Service had 40 officers on the scene and they also received aid from the West Midlands brigade.

Mr Onions added: “Immediately beneath the weir there is very deep water and faster running water further down. These are white water conditions and very dangerous.”

Asked if the water state meant it was too dangerous to go boating on he added: “There may be an opportunity in the future to talk about safety concerns but now our thoughts are with the family.

"I have seen emergency workers bent over in tears. You don’t often see that.”