Man drowns in freezing golf course pond

A man has died after trying to save his dog from a freezing pond at Wildwood Golf & Country Club in Surrey.

Tim Waddingham, 53, drowned, after his five-year-old labrador fell through thin ice into the freezing water. Mr Waddingham took some clothes off and jumped in to save the animal, which was able to swim to safety, but he got into difficulty.

When he failed to return home his wife went looking for him on the golf course and found the dog. The emergency services were called and his body was found and pulled from the pond seven hours later.

A police spokesman said: “Officers attended the scene alongside Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, including their water rescue branch, the South East Coast Ambulance Service and the Sussex Police diving team.

“The air ambulance was briefly at the scene at around 9am but left soon after as it was not required at the time.

“A thorough search of the area was conducted and the dive team located a body just after 4pm.”

He said Mr Waddingham’s death was not being treated as suspicious and a post-mortem examination showed the cause of death as drowning.

An inquest into Mr Waddingham’s death has been opened and adjourned, he added.

Mr Waddingham, who ran a successful classic car restoration firm specialising in Jaguars from his home, regularly walked his dog at the golf club. There are several water features on its three nine-hole courses.