Fire service yarn bombs for water safety campaign

A fire service has taken up yarn bombing as part of its drive to raise awareness about the dangers of water.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service kicked off its water safety campaign on Monday with a display at The Swan in Newport.

The service has teamed up with Newport Knit and Natter, Castlefield Yarn Bombers and Liz Brown from Welshpool to create decorations across the county that highlight the issue.

The campaign comes after two boys in the West Midlands recently died after getting into difficulty in water – eight-year-old Joshua Hillstead and Tyrese Johnson, aged 16.

Cathryn Williams, water safety officer at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said it was common for people to go on dog walks, jogs or walks home from nights out along the river.

She said it could prove fatal if people fell in with no-one to call for help.

"In Shropshire we have beautiful spots to spend time near the water and summer is an amazing time to enjoy our beautiful waterways,” she said.

“However, rivers, weirs, canals, quarries and lakes can also be very dangerous.”

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