At least nine people died in open water in England and Wales over four days during a recent heatwave, prompting a national water safety warning from the Royal Life Saving Society.
The deaths involved people of widely varying ages. At least seven victims were young people. A man in his 60s and a woman in her 70s also died. The RLSS said "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings" and warned that water temperatures remain very cold despite increased air temperatures.
Among those who died, Declan Sawyer, 15, was found dead at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln on Sunday after emergency crews were called to reports of him getting into difficulty around 2:30 p.m. On the same day, a 72-year-old woman was pulled from the water at West Angle Bay beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
On Bank Holiday Monday, a 13-year-old boy named locally as Reco Puttock was pronounced dead after being pulled from Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The body of a teenage girl was recovered from Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire, and the body of a teenage boy was recovered from a lake at Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Also on Monday, a man in his 60s died after running into the sea to help two relatives who had gotten into difficulty at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall.
On Tuesday, police said they believed a body they found was that of a 12-year-old boy who had gone missing while swimming in a river in Lancashire. On Wednesday, Cheshire police found a body in Pickmere Lake during the search for a 17-year-old boy who had gone missing after swimming there. On the same day, the body of a teenage boy who reportedly went missing after going swimming was recovered at Hawley Lake near Farnborough.
The RLSS warned that cold water shock, an involuntary physiological response when the body is suddenly immersed in cold water, can make it difficult to swim and harder to get out of the water. It causes blood vessels in the skin to close, increases blood flow resistance, forces the heart to work harder, and raises blood pressure. According to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, anything below 15 degrees Celsius is defined as cold water, and average UK and Ireland sea temperatures sit at 12 degrees Celsius, with some rivers running colder even in summer.
Jim Bridge from Water Safety Partnership urged those who find themselves in difficulty to "float to live." "So lie on your back with you head back, with your ears submerged, use your arms and" keep yourself afloat, he told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday.
Safety organizations recommended swimming in supervised locations with lifeguards where possible and entering the water slowly to reduce the risk of cold water shock. Cooler air moved over northern and eastern areas of England on Wednesday, offering a brief reprieve from the record-breaking temperatures.
