Water safety experts have issued an urgent drowning warning ahead of the heatwave expected this weekend.
With temperatures set to rise above 30C in some parts of the country, life savers want swimmers to be aware of the risks when heading for the beach or taking a dip in rivers and lakes.
According to the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), at least five people have already lost their lives in drowning incidents this summer.
“We understand how tempting it is to cool off in the nearest body of water and we don’t want to stop people having fun,” said Di Steer, CEO of the RLSS UK. “All we ask is that people take some simple, quick precautions to help keep them, their families and their friends safe.
“We recognise that these tragedies increase in good weather but with the unprecedented heatwave, the figures are heartbreakingly high.”
At the end of last month a six-year-old girl died after she went into the sea at Margate beach – the latest in a series of deaths involving people getting in difficulty in the water.
RNLI lifeguards at Perran Sands in Cornwall have already rescued six people this week, including a father and daughter who became caught in a rip current and were swept out to sea.
Ben Gardiner, an RNLI lifeguard supervisor for the area, urged anyone making a trip to the coast to pick one of 249 beaches with lifeguards on duty.
“If you are planning on heading to the beach this weekend, especially with the hot weather set to return, please come to a lifeguarded one,” he said.
On Wednesday, a 19-year-old woman was rescued by RNLI Lifeboat after getting into difficulty swimming off the coast of West Wittering in West Sussex.
Last year, 255 people in the UK died as a result of accidental drowning, including seven children under the age of nine.
Experts say even strong swimmers can struggle in the water and have advised people be aware of the risk of cold water shock, one of the biggest causes of drowning.
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