Police divers are searching for a Huddersfield man who went swimming at a reservoir near Hade Edge and did not return.

The divers and police helicopters have mounted a huge hunt, which continued throughout Sunday.

The massive search and rescue operation was sparked at about 9pm on Saturday after a man, named locally as 38-year-old Jonathan Pardon, from Fartown, went under water at Snailsden Reservoir and did not re-surface.

The man was camping in the area with a friend, who raised the alarm.

Click below for pictures from the scene

Firefighters from Huddersfield, Holmfirth, Brighouse and Wakefield attended the reservoir off Linshaws Road on the edge of the northern Peak District.

Officers from Brighouse used their water rescue sled as the team searched for 90 minutes in the dark but failed to find the missing man.

The West Yorkshire police helicopter and police dogs also joined the search both on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

An joint investigation involving detectives and officers from both South and West Yorkshire Police continued all day on Sunday.

Officers closed the road up to the reservoir south of Hade Edge as they undertook an extensive search of the area.

Det Insp Ian Thornes, of Huddersfield CID, said the man’s disappearance was not thought to be suspicious but detectives still needed to be involved to rule out foul-play from the inquiries.

Snailsden. which is about 1km from Hade Edge, is one of three reservoirs serving the River Don and its tributaries which were built in1899. It is in a group with Harden and Winscar reservoirs, and all were built for the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike Water Boards.

The disappearance comes as Yorkshire Water issued a stark warning about swimming in its reservoirs.

A spokesman said: “On hot days, a dip in a reservoir may appear like a great way to cool down. The still water may seem harmless, but it’s actually a dangerous killer which can claim a life in minutes.

“There are three main dangers - strong currents, the cold and time.

“Strong currents lurk beneath the surface, particularly if water is being taken out through massive pipes beneath the surface.

“When fatalities occur, it’s the temperature of the water which is often the most significant factor. Reservoirs are deep and the water in them doesn’t flow like in rivers or the sea so the temperature rarely rises much above 12 C.

“Immersion is enough to take most people’s breath away but what they probably don’t realise is that this sensation is their body’s natural defences kicking in - and they will only protect a swimmer for a matter of minutes, no matter how confident they are in the water.”

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