A 17-year-old boy drowned after being washed into a concrete field drain as he splashed about in floodwater near his home in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Max Sullivan-Webb fell face down and was trapped against a metal grille by the pressure of water pouring into the culvert. He was under water for 20 minutes before emergency services arrived.

A 16-year-old friend, Daniel Martin, who had tried to hold Max’s head above water, also had to be rescued but was allowed home from hospital after treatment for hypothermia.

Dozens of youngsters had been playing in the flooded field despite warnings from neighbours that it was dangerous. The tragedy occurred at about 8pm on Tuesday evening after a day in which a month’s worth of rain fell across Oxfordshire.

Peter Cleary, of Oxfordshire Fire Service, said that Max got trapped against a grate designed to stop weeds and debris clogging the drain. “Fire crews from Witney were in up to their necks in water,” he said. “We wore buoyancy aids and jackets and we were doing all we could to try and save this lad.”

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said that one of the youngsters told him that Max had fallen face down into the water. He said: “A second boy got into the water with Max and was trying to support him and lift his head above the water but he could not. The water was pushing him against the grille. It was just too strong.”

A firefighter said: “When we arrived he was submerged under the water. It took two crews to release him because of the pressure of the water.”

Known locally as Max Weeden, his mother Katy’s married name, the teenager lived with her and her husband, Tim. He had recently started work at a local Sainsbury’s.

His family paid tribute to him yesterday and said that the “gentle and very laidback” teenager had hoped to turn his interest in Japanese animation into a career. “Max was just like any other teenager,” they said. “He loved music, computer games and riding his BMX with his mates but in other ways he was a real individual and didn’t follow the crowd. He loved art and wanted to work as an animator. He loved Japanese anime so much that he dreamt of going to Japan and was even teaching himself to speak Japanese.

“In the last year or so he had really grown up and was showing so much potential. We are devastated by his loss, especially as we will not be able to experience the fantastic young man he was destined to have become.”

Derek Gould, 64, a painter and decorator, whose home overlooks the steeply sloping field, said that children often played in water that would collect in the field after heavy rain. He said: “There was a group of lads over in the copse having a laugh in the floodwaters. There had been a lot of children in the area all day. They were jumping in and playing around. Then we heard someone out of the back window yelling for help. One fire engine came and they got one boy out but they could not get the other one out.

“More engines came and later I saw the second boy come over on a stretcher. They were trying to resuscitate him.”

Another neighbour, Rosemary Rose, 67, said: “I reckon there was about 50 children here yesterday afternoon, some on bikes and many in their school uniforms. The water was only a couple of feet deep but I did tell some of them not to play in it because I thought it was dangerous.

“Young people come here whenever there are floods. We were telling them earlier yesterday afternoon to get out of the water because it was dangerous but they took no notice. A group of them went over the back and later I saw one come rushing back screaming for help.”

Daniel, the boy who tried to save Max, was treated at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Barry Clack, who lives near by, said that there had been complaints to the Environment Agency about the inadequate drains in the field. He said: “This drain floods two or three times a year and the Environment Agency never seems to get it fixed.”

David Cameron, the Tory leader and MP for Witney, said: “I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of this 17-year-old boy. My thoughts are with his family.”

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