British toddler dies in neighbour's pool in Spain after wandering from the garden

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Molly May Counsell, 18 months, fell into a neighbour's pool after wandering off.

Parents Lucy Counsell, 34, and John Richards, 61, said last night: "We are devastated. Our loss is indescribable."

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Tragic: Little Molly May Counsell died after falling into a neighbour's swimming pool

She was playing outside her parents' farmhouse on Saturday afternoon when they saw she was missing. After a frantic 35-minute search Miss Counsell found her unconscious next door in 2ft of water.

After failing to resuscitate her, they set off in their car to take her to a medical centre, but met paramedics coming the other way who found she was already dead.

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Happy family: Molly May with her parents Lucy Counsell, 34, and John Richards, 6

Mr Richards, a retired computer programmer, said: "Molly May was a very special little girl, outgoing, confident and ever so clever. She brought love and laughter to everyone that knew her.

"She was a good walker and did love exploring. We made the awful mistake of each thinking she was with the other."

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Play time: Molly May in a swimming pool, carefully supported by a relative

Emergency services spokesman Pilar Limon said: "We received a call from a friend of the family saying she was missing. Five minutes after we received a second call saying she had apparently drowned."

Spain's civil guard said an autopsy was being carried out yesterday, adding: "Everything points to a tragic accident."

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Tribute: Lucy, seen here holding Molly, and her husband have set up a tribute site on the internet to their daughter

The couple, who were originally from Whitby, North Yorkshire, have owned their detached house in Tijola, near Orgiva in Granada, since 2001.

The property is set in a large garden dotted with olive and orange trees and has views of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Molly May often played in the grounds with the family's Alsatian dog, Jake.

Miss Counsell splits her time between the house and Whitby, where she returns frequently to visit family and friends.

The couple had set up a website showing hundreds of photographs of them with Molly May in Spain and after her birth in Eskdale, in the Lake District, in 2006.