A couple whose bodies were found in a swollen river in North Wales are believed to have drowned trying to rescue their pet dog, police have said.
The woman has been named locally as Alicia Williams, a 27-year-old mother. The other body is believed to have belonged to her boyfriend, 25-year-old David Platt.
A member of the public spotted a woman's body on a sandbank in the River Clywedog, near Wrexham, North Wales, shortly after 5pm last night, whilst the other body was found early this morning.
The five dogs they were seen walking with have all been accounted for, said Detective Chief Inspector Mark Pierce.
Witness Michael Morgan, who works at a car wash close to the entrance to Erddig Country Park, said one of the couple's dogs, a whippet, which had a collar but no name, was "definitely" trying to raise the alarm.
"If it wasn't for the whippet, we wouldn't have known the dogs were there," he added.
He said: "The whippet was pulling on the rope towards these dogs so I thought obviously he knows them and I said to my colleague we'd tie them up as well.
"But as I turned around an ambulance appeared and the lady said there was somebody hurt and asked for help to get across the field.
"So I went ahead of the vehicle opening the gate.
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"As I got past the third gate, that's when I saw a lady waving her hands and then across from her was the body lying on the grass on her back."
Mr Morgan said it was a "terrible shock".
A post-mortem examination is expected to take place on Friday morning to establish the cause of death.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Pierce said: "The two deaths are unexplained but the likely scenario is at the moment that there was unfortunately a tragic accident.
"We believe the couple were here with dogs and at the time the river was swollen. The river level was at a higher level than it is at the moment.
"It's speculation to say whether or not the dogs have gone into the river and one or both of the couple have gone in to save the dogs. We haven't got a witness to confirm that."
He said the families of the victims were suffering a "huge amount of distress" as they prepare for formal identification.
"You can imagine the trauma and distress," he added.
A friend of Mr Platt, who asked not to be named, said: "He was a lovely guy, I've known him since school.
"I only saw David a couple of weeks ago. He was working on a farm where he built playpens for children.
"I think he had been with Alicia for two or three years.
"I didn't know her very well, just that she had a little girl."
Their deaths come amidst chaos caused by floods across the north of England, Wales and Scotland.
Britain has been hit with the most extreme September weather for decades, with hundreds evacuated from their homes and fire and rescue teams battling against the floods to help residents of some of the worst-hit areas.
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PA/Huffington Post UK | Posted: 27/09/2012 13:34 Updated: 27/09/2012 15:03