Listen to water safety experts and think first - The Yorkshire Post says
The Yorkshire Post joins the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) water safety charity in urging readers to stay safe after tragedies occurred in this region and beyond.
The RLSS issued a plea for everyone to “stop and think” following the deaths of nine people in the UK, at the time of writing yesterday, who got into trouble in open water during record-breaking spring heat.
“Warmer weather unfortunately correlates to an increase in accidental drownings,” said the charity, but added that despite warmer air, “water temperatures remain very cold”.
People across the UK have died in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Pembrokeshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in recent days.
These included a 13-year-old boy, understood to be Reco Puttock, who died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax on Monday, and a teenager who was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) also issued a warning about the “very real risk” of swimming in open water during the heatwave.
Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales, according to the Met Office, with Kew Gardens reaching 35.1C.
Safer options are available, of course – Yorkshire is home to supervised outdoor swimming locations such as Ilkley Lido and Helmsley Open Air Swimming Pool.
Wherever you enjoy the weather, please take precautions.