A coroner has said an east London council should do more to stop swimmers bathing illegally in a disused dock after a young artist drowned.
Illustration student Jonathan Adebanjo, 23, died while swimming with friends in Shadwell Basin on July 23 last year during a record heatwave.
It took police 16 hours to recover his body from the dock, which has become a popular bathing spot in hot summers.
Inner North London assistant coroner Edwin Buckett told Tower Hamlets council “there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.
In a report he said: “The water in Shadwell Basin is murky… with rubbish and discarded items below the surface.
"There is an undercurrent at the basin and the area where the deceased was swimming was not covered by CCTV.”
Mr Adebanjo, from Catford, was a competent swimmer, say his family. Before his death he was due to start his final year at Camberwell College of Arts.
There have been several deaths in the 30ft-deep basin in the past few years. The water is full of machinery from its time as a working dock.
Mr Buckett added: “I am concerned that the signs indicating that swimming is prohibited should be larger and… should indicate the reason why swimming is dangerous.”
In 2018, Tower Hamlets started a campaign to warn people of the dangers, stepping up patrols and warning bathers they could face a £500 fine.
A council spokesman said: “We will look at the recommendations in the report.”
