Back to main websiteWater Safety
Drowning is among the leading causes of accidental deaths and claims the lives of more than 50 children every year in the UK.
Under-estimating the dangers of water can have tragic consequences. You can't always see the danger hidden below the surface. Water is unpredictable and even the strongest swimmers can get into trouble quickly.
Children are often drawn to open water particularly during the summer months, this includes places such as the sea, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, canals, rivers, and even paddling pools.
The key to staying safe is making the right choices to avoid getting into difficulty in the first place. Please check out our guidance below for top tips, facts and resources on staying safe around water.
Remember if you are in danger, or you see someone in danger call 999
In inland water, ask for FIRE
In the sea, ask for the COASTGUARD
If someone has gone under the water and cannot be seen, ask for POLICE
Why are we so concerned about Water Safety?
In the last few years there have been a number of water related deaths in the Wakefield district that could have been avoided.
The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) recently published a report about Child drowning deaths in England from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023. This report showed that:
- The majority of drowning deaths occur during the summer months (June, July and August).
- There were 41 child drowning deaths in England in this time frame – this is an increase of 4 deaths from the previous year.
- Drowning rates are higher for children under 5 as well as those aged between 15 and 17 years.
- There were almost twice as many drownings of male children as female children, in line with the characteristics of all drowning deaths in the UK, where 83% were male.
- The highest proportion of child drowning deaths occurred in open water sites such as lakes and rivers.
- In 90% of drowning deaths the child was not being supervised by an adult at the time of their death. 1 in 4 of the children who were not under adult supervision at the time of drowning were accompanied by their peers. All of these children drowned in inland open water.
Unfortunately, the statistics above are relatable to the deaths we have seen in Wakefield. Therefore, it is paramount that we continue to drill home the importance of water safety and key water safety messages.
Winter water safety - Top tips for staying safe
Ice safety
As it starts to get colder, our frozen ponds, lakes, damns and waterways can be beautiful places to visit as well as a tempting place to play, but these icy conditions can be extremely dangerous.
- Never go onto the ice - there is no way of knowing whether it will take your weight, how thick the ice is or how cold, deep and fast the water beneath is.
- Keep a safe distance from the edge - fallen leaves and snow could obscure the water’s edge and cause slippery surfaces.
- Check for safety signage.
- Always supervise children and keep dogs on leads.
- In an emergency, call 999.
(Credit: Water Safety Scotland)
Advice for Winter
- Be aware of Cold Water Shock and how it affects your body
- Stay away from open water when you are alone. Always make sure you are with a friend or family member if you are going for a walk or a day out near open water
- Look out for your friends and family, or the people you are out with, and ensure everyone is staying safe together
- Do not enter the water or onto the ice to rescue someone yourself, wait for help
- Never enter the water or onto the ice to rescue a pet / animal
- You are more help if you remain on the land. Remain calm and call 999. Be a lifesaver!
What to do in an Emergency?
FLOAT TO LIVE
1. Fight your instinct to thrash around
First keep calm and try not to panic, your instinct will be to swim hard, don’t
2. Lean back
Lay on your back and float like a starfish if you get into trouble in the water, breathe slowly, then you can make a plan or swim to safety if possible
3. Gentle movements
If you need to, gently move your arms and legs in a sculling motion (a bit like when using an ore in a boat)
4. Catch your breath
Float until you can control your breathing. Do this for 60-90seconds or until you feel calm
5. Now think about how to get out
Only now can you think about the next steps
Be Water Wise -
Teenagers
In this short film created by Wakefield Council and Partners, we see Caleb jump into the water following peer pressure from his friends.
- What happened when Caleb entered the water?
- Do you think he got cold water shock?
- Was it deep and were there currents in the water?
- How do his friends feel?
- His parents have to celebrate his 18th Birthday without him, how does that make you feel?
Where can I find out more information on Water Safety?
The agencies listed below have a variety of resources to help you feel safer around water.
Resources for Schools / Colleges
Additional water safety resources for Schools and Colleges can be found here.
For age appropriate resources and videos, including how to Float to Live and stay safe in and around water, please click on the link above and scroll down to ‘Water Safety‘.
Canal & Rivers Trust
Explorers by the Canal & River Trust is a section of their website dedicated to water safety for Children and Young People.
- For summer water safety, please click here
- For winter water safety, please click here
- For activity packs, challenges, posters, videos and lots more information and resources, please click here
Winter Water Safety
What to do if you find someone in the water.
Canal & River Trust have produced this useful video on what to do if someone fall in a canal in the winter months.
** It is important to note that a lot of this information is transferable to other waterbodies across the district.
Royal Life Saving Society UK - RLSS UK
The Royal Life Saving Society UK are a registered charity whose aim is to share resources, knowledge and expertise with as many people as possible, giving everyone the potential to enjoy being in, on and around water safely and save lives.
- Winter Water Safety Advice
- They have created a range of resources for Pre-School, Primary School and Secondary School children, that can be accessed here
- Don’t Drink and Drown is a national campaign by the Royal life Saving Society UK that warns of the dangers of drinking alcohol and being near water. Click here to watch the video and here to access the resources (appropriate for children aged 15+)
- For a useful handbook on water safety, please click here.
- Splash Safety at your Pad is a new campaign by RLSS to raise awareness to the dangers of young children drowning in the bath. Click here for more information and resources.
Water Smart Schools
A free accreditation programme for primary and secondary schools, achieving skills for life.
The Water Smart Schools Award programme provides a framework for schools to help them facilitate this essential knowledge and skills in their pupils to an excellent standard.
The initiative provides schools with all the necessary materials to deliver class-based water safety education, utilising our tried and tested, adaptable lesson plans and resources. An holistic approach allows whole school / community involvement, provides School Council with an excellent project base and fosters greater understanding of water safety issues, both locally and further afield.
Filling Up Film
This hard hitting film focuses on a boy who meets his friends near a river and takes part in a dare which has tragic consequences.
Developed by Derbyshire Fire and Rescue with HROC and produced by Chrome Productions Artem SFX.
The RNLI provide 24 hour rescue service, through the lifeboats and the lifeguards who patrol 248 beaches across the UK. They influence, supervise and educate people on the dangers of the water and how to stay safe.
- Summer is the busiest time of the year for the RNLI, click here to read their safety information, on knowing the risks, how to call for help and much more
- The RNLI’s short ‘Respect the Water’ and ‘Float to live’ video is factual and interesting
- For Primary aged children, watch the catchy Seaside Safety Song here
- For more information on how to stay safe in the water, specifically aimed at children and young people, click the button below!
Cold Water Shock
Cold Water Shock (CWS) is an involuntary response by the body being suddenly or unexpectedly immersed into water which has temperature of less than 15 degrees.
Your body's reaction to CWS will affect your ability to move and may seriously affect your breathing.
Watch the video to know what to do in overcoming cold water shock should you ever find yourself in that position
Wakefield Council
Wakefield Council offer a schools swimming and water safety programme, along with water safety assemblies, bookable water safety sessions during school holidays as a part of the aquatics holiday programme and water safety advice.
- For summer and winter water safety advice, please click here
- The only safe place to go for a swim are places specifically designed for swimming. For details of swimming lessons taking place across the district check out what is on offer at your local Aspire leisure centres
Be Water Wise
Credit: Wakefield Council, WSCP, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, Canals & Rivers Trust, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Yorkshire Water.
Colleagues across Wakefield have created a film to bring home to hard hitting realities of swimming in open water.
With the help of Sam Teale Productions and local actors, three real life scenarios have been created to show you what can happen when you enter open water and the impact this has on the people you leave behind.
Be Water Wise -
Dog Rescue
In the his short film we are made aware of the dangers of open water, when Amy enters to rescue her dog.
Be Water Wise -
Non-English Speaking person
During this short film, we see Harris, a non-English speaking man unable to read the water safety signs and enter the water.
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue provide a 24hour service to people in the UK. They attend fires, road traffic collisions, and rescue operations on land and in the water.
Do you know who you need to call if you are in danger in the water, or if you see someone in danger in the water? Call 999 and ask for FIRE.
In 2021, there were a total of 124 water rescue incidents attended to by Fire Services in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2021 (57 in West Yorkshire), with 23 fatalities recorded in Yorkshire and the Humber during the 12-month period.
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Float to Live & Cold Water Kills FlyerShow detailsFlyer by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
Water Safety
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, have joined up with Yorkshire Water to explain the risks and hidden dangers of swimming in open water.
Remember to stick to the designated swimming areas and do not be tempted to cool off in any open water.
If someone is in trouble in the water, call 999 and importantly ask for the FIRE SERVICE as they have specialist water rescue equipment.
NEVER enter the water to attempt a rescue!
Yorkshire Water own and manage over 100 reservoirs in the Yorkshire area. They help maintain the reservoir and ensure the warning signs are clear and contain up to date information.
- To understand the dangers of cold water, biggest risks to be aware off in and around reservoirs and advice on what to do in an emergency please click on the button below
Reservoir Safety
Yorkshire Water have created this short film outlining the risks and dangers of entering and swimming in reservoirs
A quick dip isn't worth your life.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents - RoSPA
Everything the RoSPA do is guided by two core principals, their vision and their mission.
Vision: Life, free from serious accidental injury
Mission: Exchanging life-enhancing skills and knowledge to reduce serious accidental injuries
It is wonderful to be outdoors, having fun in water, in a pool and on the beach – but it’s important to be aware of the risk that water poses to children and young people.
- To view their Water Safety Code, please click here
Garden Ponds
Garden ponds are great! They're nice to look at, good for wildlife... Unfortunately they're not so good for children.
There are a number of easy options that can be taken to give parents and carers peace of mind and make ponds safer:
- Grille It
- Fence it
- Fill it
Water Safety Symbols
There are three main types of water safety signs you will find when you are around water. Each one has its own meaning, but all of them work to the same system.
To access a poster of the national water safety signs, please click here.
Prohibition
Signs that mean you should not do something, are always:
- A red ring shape, with a line running through
- White background, red line and black symbols or shapes
- They inform you of things you are not supposed to do
These signs tell you that it would be dangerous to do something, or go in that place.
Hazard
Signs that warn you of danger, are always:
- Triangle shaped
- Yellow background, with black symbols
- They are placed to help you spot a hazard that is not always obvious
They mean that you should be aware of something.
Mandatory
Signs that mean you should do something, are always:
- Blue and circle shaped
- White symbols or shapes
- They inform you of things you need to do
These signs tell you that you should do something to be safe.
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BridgesShow detailsA structure carrying a road, path or railway etc across a river, road or other obstacle.
Never jump or tombstone into water from a bridge. You will not be able to estimate how deep the river is.
Sudden emersion in cold water can cause your body to go into shock.
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CanalShow detailsA long, thin stretch of water that is artificially made either for boats to travel along or for taking water from one area to another.
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LakeShow detailsA body of water that is surrounded by land.
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LocksShow detailsThey are structures that allow boats to travel up and down a water way.
Never swim in or near a lock, even if there are no boats around. The gates can without warning, slam shut with great force created by water pressure.
Some locks have guillotine gates as they open strong currents pour through or beneath these gates. Never swim near or climb on these structures. The moving parts which lift the gates are dangerous and can trap or injure you.
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PondShow detailsA small area of still, fresh water.
It is different form a river or a stream because it does not having moving water and it differs from a lake because it has a small area. Some ponds are formed naturally, filled either by underwater spring or by rain water, sometimes know dewponds. Other ponds are artificially made.
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ReservoirShow detailsA large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.
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RiverShow detailsA large natural stream of water flowing towards the sea, lake or another river.
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SluicesShow detailsStructures that control the flow of a river.
Some open and close automatically without warning.
The rush of water as it empties into the river, will sweep away anyone swimming near these structures. Do not climb these structures, or enter the water, or swim near a sluice.
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StreamShow detailsA small narrow river.
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The SeaShow detailsThe salty water that covers a large part of the surface of the earth, that is partly or completely surrounded by land.
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WeirsShow detailsStructures that help to maintain water levels.
Water currents at weirs form stoppers these are very strong currents that can drag you under the water and hold you there.
Do not climb on these structure, or enter the water, or swim near a weir.