At least six young people across the UK have lost their lives after getting into trouble in open water in recent days.
With temperatures continuing to soar as Britain moves into summer, a dad whose 16-year-old son drowned in a reservoir two years ago has warned about the dangers of swimming in rivers and lakes.
Simon Haycock has been campaigning to raise the issue of river safety since his son Sam died in Ulley Reservoir, Rotherham, in May 2021.
The scorching bank holiday weekend and preceding hot spell has seen youngsters looking for ways to cool off by taking unnecessary risks.
The body of 15-year-old Lewis Kirkpatrick was recovered from the River Eden in Carlisle, Cumbria, on Saturday afternoon.
Police launched the search following reports the teenager and three other boys had got into difficulty on Friday evening.
An unnamed 14-year-old was airlifted to hospital and remains in a critical condition.
Two men in their 20s died after being pulled from the water off the coast of Devon yesterday, the police have confirmed today.
Devon and Cornwall Police rushed to the scene in Oddicombe, Torbay, following reports of concern for two people in the water.
The pair were rescued at around 8.50am on Saturday - but sadly, one of them was declared deceased at the scene and the other died after being taken to Torbay District Hospital.
It came just days after the body of Tyler Wilson, 16, - was pulled from the River Calder in Castleford, West Yorkshire, on Wednesday.
Taking to social media, Tyler's mum Zoe Marie Scott said: "Love you and forever my boy. Until we meet again."
The bodies of an 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old man were recovered by divers at High Eske Nature Reserve, near Tickton, also on Wednesday, with four swimmers rescued.
And on May 1, the body of 17-year-old Jake Smith was pulled from the River Thames in Lechlade, Gloucestershire.
As part of a tribute, his family, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said: "Although this was a tragic accident, we urge people to stop and think before they jump into the river."
John Gibson, a Canal & River Trust area operations manager, said: "We want people to enjoy being by the water and go home safely at the end of the day.
"We can end up with fatalities. It's devastating for the families involved in this as well as my staff, volunteers and members of the public."
Jonathan Henderson, of Humberside Fire and Rescue, warned of 300 accidental drownings throughout the UK each year.
"About 80 percent of those are men and a heavy percentage of those are young men," he added.
"If you do find yourself in the water, lay on your back to float - but don't go in the water in the first place."
Simon went on to say: "We'll never get over losing Sam. But I use my grief to try to do something positive."
He said his message was to stay away from reservoirs and rivers even in hot weather.
"They are not the place to be spending time, they're certainly not the place to be going swimming," he told the BBC.
"They're dangerous, the water's extremely cold even on a hot day.
"There's hidden dangers underneath so you don't know what you're jumping into."
