Skip to content

Heatwave swimming warning after six die in England

YappApp Scene at PugneysYappApp
Searches are ongoing for a man believed to have got into difficulty in Wakefield

Rescuers have warned of the invisible but deadly dangers of open water after six people drowned in English lakes and rivers over the weekend.

Bodies were recovered on Sunday in Manchester, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Cumbria.

Searches for two more people are ongoing in the Lake District and West Yorkshire.

The Royal Life Saving Society urged the public to use caution when entering the water.

Lakes, beaches and rivers were busy on Saturday and Sunday as the UK had its hottest days of the year so far.

Emergency service across England were called to reports of people missing after entering bodies of water.

Cheshire Police are also searching for a 16-year-old boy over fears he fell into the River Weaver in Frodsham.

Meanwhile, searches are continuing for a man in his 30s from London who was seen in Crummock Water in the Lake District, and for a man who was reported as having difficulties in a lake at Pugneys Country Park in Wakefield.

Google Ducklington Lake, Witney,Google
A girl died in hospital after being pulled from a lake in Witney, Oxfordshire

Lee Heard, from the Royal Life Saving Society, said open-water swimming in hot weather placed people at risk of cold water shock.

"The difference between the air temperature and water temperature can literally take your breath away... it is silent, invisible and deadly.

"Water can also hide debris, strong currents and sudden changes in depth that can catch out even the strongest swimmers."

The charity said about 402 deaths a year were "entirely preventable".

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Fire services across the country have issued warnings as sun-seekers continue to flock to canals, reservoirs, lakes and beaches amid the the current hot spell.

All four nations of the UK recorded their hottest day of the year over the weekend and forecasters predict the weather will last for much of the week.

Met Office A map showing the extreme heat warningMet Office

For the first time the Met Office has issued an extreme heat warning.

It covers large parts of Wales, all of south-west England and parts of southern and central England until Thursday evening.

The Met Office said temperatures could climb to a maximum of 33C (91.4F).

The long-range weekend forecast for suggests spells of rain or showers are likely for many areas.