A 39-YEAR-old diver from Suffolk has died after he surfaced unconscious from England's deepest lake.

Laurence Cawley

A 39-YEAR-old diver from Suffolk has died after he surfaced unconscious from England's deepest lake.

Experienced diver Stewart Wright, from Bury St Edmunds, was on an expedition in the Wasdale area of the Lake District when he got into serious difficulties.

Although exact details of what happened remain sketchy, it is understood he emerged from Wastwater, the country's deepest Lake which sits beneath England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, unconscious.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned by west Cumbria's deputy coroner Simon Ward into the death of Stewart Wright, from Bury St Edmunds, who died in the Lake District on November 5.

Emergency service workers - and a fellow diver - managed to get him to the side of the lake but despite desperate efforts by medical staff, he was declared dead at the scene.

The body of Mr Wright, a keen member of Bury Sub Aqua club who lived in Netley Road in Bury, was identified by his friend Ian Christopher Watson.

A spokeswoman for Cumbria police told how the drama unfolded earlier this month.

She said: “We were alerted by the coastguard to a diver in difficulty in Wastwater. Officers attended along with the coastguard and air ambulance and the man was recovered from the water.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”

She added the police were not investigating the death because there were no suspicious circumstances.

Details as to exactly what happened to Mr Wright remain unclear.

According to the South Cumbrian Coastguard, Mr Wright surfaced from the water unconscious. He was given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by both coastguard and mountain rescue officers until back-up arrived at the scene.

A Royal Navy helicopter was drafted in to take Mr Wright to decompression facility but Mr Wright was declared dead before he could be taken away.

A full inquest into the 39-year-old's death will be held in Cumbria in due course.