An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a teenager on an outdoor activities holiday at a south Wales beauty spot.

The parents of 16-year-old Herve Bola, from Woodford Green in Essex, have said their son could not swim.

Police have begun an inquiry into the death

Herve Bola drowned at a waterfall on a visit to Sgwd y Gwladys Falls, near Glynneath, as part of an adventure sports holiday.

Eyewitnesses have said that he got into difficulty after jumping into the river to cool off, at the beauty spot - known as the Lady Falls - near Pontneddfechan in the Neath Valley.

The popular tourist area is within the boundaries of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Grandmother Francoise Bola said: "It was very specific on the form [he had] - he was a non-swimmer."

Her son had resurfaced once, but went under again and attempts by friends and bystanders to rescue him failed.

Two South Wales Police officers called to the incident - at about 1430 BST on Monday - also jumped in the pool to try to rescue him but, despite getting him out of the water, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

'Relatively safe'

A post-mortem examination confirmed the boy drowned and both the police and the Health and Safety Executive have launched investigations into exactly what happened.

Martin Jones of the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team said: "I'm sure compared to a lot of the activities he'd done that day, that was a relatively safe activity, presuming you could swim."

The centre has an unblemished safety record

People living near the waterfall have said there are not enough warnings about how dangerous the water can be.

"It is a dangerous river but as long as you treat it as a beauty thing, not as something to mess and fool about on," said fisherman Len Collins.

Herve Bola had been staying as the Glasbury House activity centre which is owned by the London Borough of Redbridge.

A spokesman said the centre had an unblemished safety record over the 40 years it had been running.

A statement from the local authority said: "The group of young people were taking part in a day of outdoor activities."

Sympathy

"Despite the efforts of several people to assist him, including Redbridge staff and other people at the scene, the young man drowned.

Residents say there could be more safety signs

"The Glasbury Outdoor Centre has been in operation for almost 40 years and no accidents of this nature have occurred during that time."

The area is popular with walkers for its caves, rivers and gorges.

Last August, and less than two miles away, a college trip to nearby waterfalls ended in the death of 17-year-old Jason Dalton.

The teenager was on a field trip as part of a personal development and confidence-building course when he drowned in a swollen river.