Warning after spate of drownings

Police are warning of the dangers of swimming in deep and unsafe water following a spate of drownings in our region.

15 year old Rony Johns from Huntingdon drowned in the River Ouse in Hartford on Thursday. 16 year old Connor McColl, from Jaywick in Essex, got into difficulties in a lake in Clophill in Bedfordshire on Friday and couldn't be saved. A 61 year man lost his life at the Blue Lagoon in Bletchley near Milton Keynes at the weekend. And a 57 year old man fell out of a canoe and drowned at Sixfields Lake in Northampton yesterday.

More than 400 people die from accidental drowning in the Uk every year. It's the third most common cause of child deaths. The advice from the Royal Life Saving Society is:1. Swim at lifeguarded lakes.2. When around water, stay back from the edge. At least 22% of people who drown fall into the water by accident. (e.g. whilst out fishing, running or walking).3. Remember that lakes and rivers remain cold all year round (warm shallow areas just a few metres from the shore can be misleading about the temperatures further out).4. Always wear a buoyancy aid or lifejacket for activities on the water or at the water’s edge (such as when boating or fishing).5. Never enter the water after consuming alcohol.

Matthew Hudson reports on a company which works with the emergency services to in emergencies like that in Cambridgeshire last week.