Water safety experts warn of dangers of outdoor swimming as heatwave grips UK

Emergency services reported at least nine water-related deaths during a UK heatwave, including seven young people. Victims were found after incidents at lakes, beaches, and other open-water locations across multiple counties. A 17-year-old boy was recovered after being last seen in a lake in Northwich. A teenage girl and five boys died in separate incidents across Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire. A man in his 60s died after entering the water near Padstow to help relatives. A 72-year-old woman died after being pulled from a beach in Pembrokeshire. Experts warned that cold water shock can occur when air temperatures rise rapidly while water remains cold, and urged supervised swimming and knowing what to do in emergencies.

"Water safety experts have warned about the dangers of outdoor swimming after a spike in drownings as people try to escape soaring temperatures by cooling off in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other bodies of water. In recent days, emergency services have reported at least nine deaths because of water-related incidents, seven of them young people, as Britain's heatwave sends crowds of people to the seaside and other swimming spots."

"Dr Heather Massey, an associate professor in extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth, urged parents to ensure children visited supervised swimming locations where lifeguards were on hand, and that they knew what to do if they or others got into difficulty in the water. Deaths from drowning often spike in May as hot weather arrives and more people head to open water locations to cool down."

"Many fatalities are thought to be triggered by cold water shock as the water remains very cold even when the air temperature soars. Unfortunately, this is something we see every year, Massey said. It's a known problem when the air temperature increases rapidly but the water is still very cold. At this time of year, it hasn't had time to warm up."

"On Wednesday, Cheshire Constabulary said they had recovered a body after searching for a 17-year-old boy who was last seen in the water at Pick Mere, a lake in Northwich. This week, a teenage girl and five boys died in separate incidents in Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire. And on Monday, a man in his 60s died after suffering cardiac arrest having entered the water at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, in Cornwall, to help two relatives who had got into trouble."

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