Firefighters fear deadly danger of kids playing in Northamptonshire open water this Easter weekend

Warning follows reports of youngsters diving into freezing reservoirs during school holidays
Kevin Nicholls
By Kevin Nicholls
Published 14th Apr 2022, 11:14 BST
Updated 14th Apr 2022, 11:28 BST
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Firefighters will be out and about at popular waterside spots in Northamptonshire this weekend urging people to stay safe.

Emergency services are concerned after reports of youngsters swimming in open waters such as Pitsford Reservoir during the school holidays.

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They fear more will risk diving in with a couple of days of warmer weather heading our way.

Pitsford Reservoir is popular for open-water swimmers but firefighters warn diving in unsupervised could be deadlyPitsford Reservoir is popular for open-water swimmers but firefighters warn diving in unsupervised could be deadly
Pitsford Reservoir is popular for open-water swimmers but firefighters warn diving in unsupervised could be deadly

Darren Carson, prevention team leader at Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, said: “Taking part in unsupervised open-water swimming is not worth the risk.

“Even in warm weather, open water can be extremely cold and dangerous.

"While the sun may be out, water can still be cold enough to put your body into shock and increase the risks of you drowning.

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“The weather is looking like it will be nice at the weekend but there are plenty of supervised open water locations in the county that are safer to use, and these can be found online.

“Our crews will be out and about this weekend promoting water safety at some of the known open swimming spots and we hope that this will help to prevent any serious incidents occurring.”

■ Tips on staying safe while swimming in open water:

Get to know where you are swimming, be properly equipped and aware of the cold Make sure someone knows where you have gone and have can call for help Take note of local safety advice Download the what3words app on your phone so you can give exact locations to 999 services If you get stuck in the water with cold body shock, try and float on your back in a star shape and allow the shock to pass If you see another person or animal in the water, do NOT try to rescue them. Call 999 and ask for the fire service immediately Try and get a throw line or inflatable to help anybody who is struggling in the water

The prevention team has also been working hard recently to deliver waterside responder training to hospitality and other venues, allowing them to help people in trouble in the water.

READ MORE: Weather watchers blow cold of Easter heatwave in Northamptonshire

Related topics:NorthamptonshireEmergency services