Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is raising awareness of water safety ahead of the warm weather being forecast this weekend.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue carried out more than 200 water rescues between 2015 and 2020, involving eight fatalities and 21 people getting injured in water rescues across the county during this period, with the highest number of incidents taking place in April and September.

Area manager Craig Drinkald – head of community safety at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service – said: “We are aware that many people will be taking their daily exercise close to open water, so we want to make sure they are aware of the risks, especially when you consider that runners and walkers have the highest incidents of accidental drowning.”

Half of accidental drownings in the UK occur when people do not intend to go in the water, so simple steps to raise awareness of the risks around water and how they can be reduced will help prevent these deaths.

In 2018 263 people accidentally drowned in the UK; around 50 per cent of these people just happened to be near water and had no intention of entering the water; 87 per cent of these fatalities were male.

NFCC’s drowning prevention and water safety lead, chief fire officer Dawn Whittaker, said: “We want people to enjoy spending time in and around water safely.

“Most people would be shocked to hear 263 people lost their lives last year while spending time near water because they were unaware of the risks and unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water. By highlighting this issue and making sure simple safety messages reach them, we hope to reduce the number of these needless and preventable deaths.”

Drowning prevention advice:

n When out walking, or running close to water, keep away from the water’s edge, especially after rain when the ground may be slippery or unstable;

* Never enter the water to try and help a person or animal – always call 999 and use any water rescue equipment if it is available;

* If you are spending time near water make sure you would know what to do if you happened to fall in. The advice is not to panic, to float on your back and then either call for help, or swim to safety;

* If you have had alcohol don’t enter the water and avoid walking routes near water.