RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
March 10 , 2005
HEATWAVE DROWNINGS MAR IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER SAFETY
Two people were drowning each day at the peak of the 2003 heatwave in the UK, new figures released by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents revealed today.
There were 66 accidental drownings in August alone. A total of 159 people drowned in the hottest months of June, July and August – almost 80 per cent higher than a normal summer - as people risked their lives trying to cool off.
The scorching weather marred what was otherwise a much better year for water safety, with 381 drownings recorded in comparison with 427 in 2002 – a drop of more than 10 per cent.
The overall picture is encouraging news for delegates preparing for RoSPA’s National Water Safety Congress in Bournemouth next week. Entitled Towards Water Safety Excellence, and sponsored by Sport England and the Environment Agency, it will be held at the Highcliff Marriott Hotel on Monday and Tuesday (March 14 and 15).
Peter Cornall, RoSPA Head of Water and Leisure Safety, said: “Although things have been improving, what happened during the heatwave shows that there is no room for complacency. A great deal of work can still be done to improve the management of water sites and make our waters safer.
“Most of those who drown are swimmers who ignore warnings to only swim at properly supervised swimming pools and supervised beaches. They often die within a couple of minutes of entering the water and quite close to the shore.”
The conference will be attended by Richard Caborn, Minister for Sport, on Tuesday, and will discuss industry-wide standards for beaches, inland waters, harbours, marinas and swimming pools. See www.rospa.com/water .
The RoSPA figures, produced jointly with the Royal Life Saving Society, show that those most at risk remained men in their mid-teens to their 40s. And a far higher proportion of men than women (6-1) drowned than in most years (4-1).
“The major problem was again with young men jumping into inland waters such as rivers, lakes, canals, lochs and ponds to cool off during the hot weather,” Peter Cornall said. “But there were also bigger problems than usual around the coast in summer 2003.”
Other drowning figures for 2003 were (2002 figures in brackets): inland waters 229 (251); coastal 93 (87); swimming pools 12 (15); home 18 (42); under-15s 24 (40); under-fives 16 (17). Eight children drowned in garden ponds – the same as the previous two years.
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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