The family of the 37-year-old man who sadly died at the Marine Lake in Waterloo have paid tribute

The family of a man who sadly died at the Marine Lake in Waterloo have paid tribute.

The body of 37-year-old Joe Melia was recovered from the lake on Monday 14th August after he went missing on Friday.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

A family statement said: “Joe was a loving dad, partner, son and uncle."

“He was having a lovely day with his family and friends in the sun celebrating his birthday."

“Joe was kind and bubbly and would do anything for anyone."

“We would like to thank everyone for their support but would like time now to process and grieve our loss.”

Emergency services, including Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, North West Ambulance Service and the Coastguard were all called to the lake at around 4.30pm on Friday 11th August when it was reported that a 37-year-old man had got into difficulty after using a paddleboard in the water.

A number of officers and members of the public initially entered the water in an attempt to save him before a more complex search was carried out by a specialist team of divers.

The complex search was ongoing for 4 days.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Joe Melia at this difficult time.

Anyone with information is asked to DM Merseyside Police Contact Centre or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 773 of 11th August.