A coroner today warned children not to be tempted into swimming in disused quarries following the death of a teenager who drowned at a local beauty spot.

Jamie Robert Kowalczyk, a non-swimmer, died in the Blue Lagoon at Womersley, North Yorkshire on Thursday, August 8, after a day out with friends.

The 14-year-old visited the disused quarry with 15 to 20 friends from his home village of Knottingley, on the border of West and North Yorkshire.

Despite attempts by friends to save the boy, Jamie was taken to Pontefract General Infirmary but was declared dead within 15 minutes of arriving.

Today the acting coroner for North Yorkshire, Geoffrey Fell, said the Blue Lagoon may sound attractive to youngsters but it was a potentially lethal playground.

He said: "These places are dangerous. This particular quarry I am told is 13 to 20 metres deep which makes it very cold and also there is some debris on the bottom of it.

"They are dangerous places and children in particular are well advised to keep well away from them."

Mr Fell made his comments as he briefly opened and adjourned the inquest at Selby Magistrates Court.

The hearing was told how a local diver went to the scene and pulled Jamie's lifeless body from the lagoon after searching the water for 15 minutes.

He was taken to hospital where his father, Robert, identified his son. The cause of death was drowning, the hearing was told.

The inquest was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.