Youngsters are risking their lives “tombstoning” into the sea or rivers amid a surge in the dangerous activity during the summer holidays, councils and fire chiefs have warned.
Young people, some fuelled by alcohol, are leaping from structures as high as 65-foot into water unsupervised, a practice known as tombstoning, which puts them at risk of hitting unseen objects or landing badly.
The Local Government Association (LGA), the body that represents councils and fire and rescue authorities, is urging young people to resist the temptation to tombstone during the warm weather.
It says there has been a recent spike in tombstoning from cliffs, harbour walls, piers and bridges – which has resulted in serious injuries – as a result of hotter temperatures last month.
A woman recently broke her legs after leaping into the sea and hitting submerged rocks in Dorset and a man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after jumping into the sea in Torquay.
A headteacher of a school in Bournemouth wrote to parents before the summer holidays warning of the dangers of the activity after teenage boys were seen tombstoning from a footbridge into a river.
Cllr Morris Bright, vice chairman of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “Tombstoning is extremely dangerous and anyone doing it is dicing with death or risks ending up with life-changing or serious injuries.
“The message is clear - if you don’t know that the depth of the water is safe or you cannot see what is below the surface, don’t jump or let alcohol, drugs or peer pressure affect your judgement.
"Even if you think you are jumping safely, children may be watching you and copy your actions.”
Nick Biddlecombe, who was left paralysed from the chest down after jumping off a cliff when he was 17, has noticed a rise in young people tombstoning and he thinks social media has played a part.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Biddlecombe said: “It is getting more and more common. Kids are doing it and I don’t think they realise how dangerous it is. Celebrities are putting stuff on Instagram and Facebook and it seems to be more popular than it ever has been.
“Having good videos to put on Facebook and to say ‘look at what I have just jumped off’. I don’t think social media has made it any easier.”
“Everywhere I go there are kids jumping into water and it turns my stomach,” he added. “It is about time something was done to be honest.”
The Coastguard has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning since 2004, with 70 injuries and 20 deaths.
Kaimes Beasley, duty maritime operations controller at the maritime and coastguard agency, said: “Jumping from piers, cliffs, rocks or other structures into the sea can be very dangerous.
“The depth of the water can dramatically change with the tide, and what was a deep pool at lunchtime might be a shallow puddle by teatime. You don’t know what hazards may be lurking under the surface until you are hurt or worse.”
