The family of the 18-year-old Leyland man who tragically died in Ullswater Lake on Saturday have paid tribute to ‘a much loved lad.’

At 2:16pm on Saturday afternoon a large scale land and water search was launched to find Chad Edward Salisbury after reports that his canoe had overturned in Ullswater Lake just West of Pooley Bridge around 200 meters from shore and he had failed to resurface. Sadly, in the early hours of Sunday morning Police divers recovered his body from the water.

In a statement Chad’s family said: “Chad was a much loved and well liked lad. He was outgoing, loud and very popular in the Leyland area. He was a typical 18-year-old – frightened of nothing, knew his own mind and always up for a challenge. He loved motorbikes and cars – he was always taking things to bits – but whether he could put them back together was another thing.

“He brought joy to so many people in his short life and we are all devastated by this tragic event. We would like to thank all the emergency services and members of the public who helped in the search for our boy – in particular the Police Underwater Search and Rescue Team who worked through the night and into the early hours to find him. This will be our one and only statement and would ask that the media now respect our wish for privacy to mourn our loss.”

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and police are investigating the incident on behalf of the coroner. Any witnesses or anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident is asked to contact Penrith Police on 0845 33 00 247 if they wish to pass on any information.