Don't let them go in

It might be hard to believe but the sunny weather is set to shine this bank holiday weekend. Unfortunately, the risk of drowning rises with warmer weather, as we are drawn to cooling off in reservoirs and stretches of other unsupervised open water.

The message from United Utilities, who own 180 reservoirs in the North West is clear, stay out of the water and if your friends are tempted to take a dip, don’t let them go in.

Despite the tragic loss of life every year, research by the water company has found over a third of people in the region would brave the reservoir waters if the weather was good. And young impulsive teenagers appear to be most keen.

Paula Steer, Director of Health and Safety and Wellbeing at United Utilities said: “As with most things during our youth, peer pressure plays a massive part. We want that peer pressure to change from urging each other to get into the water, to urging each other to stay safe and not to go in.

“Reservoirs are there as storage so we can supply customers with drinking water.

“This means they are very deep and are extremely cold in places – causing cold shock which takes your breath away and makes it hard to swim.

“There are also hidden currents in the water and underwater machinery, adding further danger to even the strongest of swimmers.

“We absolutely want everyone to visit and enjoy our reservoirs, but please do so from the safety of the banks.”

The advice follows a series of instances over the past few weeks where young people are swimming unsupervised in reservoirs across the region.

Click here for more information on reservoir safety