Heatwave: Warnings more deaths likely after 50 drownings this summer

Drowning deaths have increased this year as more people have been drawn to the water during sizzling heatwaves.

Data from the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) reveal that at least 50 people drowned between June and 16 August this year.

Last month, Britain recorded its hottest day on record as temperatures reached 40.3C in east England, prompting wildfires across the country and warnings about cooling off in reservoirs and open water.

The extreme weather has led to drought in parts of the country after five consecutive months of below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures.

River flows, groundwater levels and reservoir stocks all decreased during July, while 13 rivers monitored by the Environment Agency are at the lowest levels ever recorded and soil moisture deficit is comparable to that seen at the end of the 1976 drought.

According to the figures, 13 people drowned in June, 27 in July and 10 so far in August.

Kacper Biela, 13, who died in Skegness on 13 August, was one of the youngest drowning victims this summer. The boy’s body was recovered following an extensive search by the police, coastguard and lifeboat crews.

In a tribute on Facebook, Kevin Bishop, from Kacper’s football club, said: “He was an exceptional player for the team and had recently been selected for the Hereford Football Academy.

“Kacper was a lovely boy on and off the pitch, and a credit to his family and club.

“All at the club are devastated by the news and ask that the family, management and his team mates are given the time and space at this most difficult time.”

Sean Norbert Anyanwu, 16, drowned in Bray Lake, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, on one of the hottest days of the year. Emergency services were called to the lake just before midday on 18 July following reports he had gotten into difficulty.

The teenager was described as “the light” of his family said in a brief statement.

They added: “We are devastated by his loss and we would ask for our privacy to be respected while we grieve.”

Robert Hattersley, 13, died in July after getting into difficulty in the River Tyne near Ovingham, Northumberland.

The Year 9 pupil was described by his school as a “well-loved member of the academy family, who immersed himself in all aspects of school life”.

A tribute from his family said the “kind and caring young man” brought a smile to so many people’s faces and he “will be missed by absolutely everyone who knew and loved him”.

Members of the public and friends have given nearly £3,800 to a crowdfunding page set up following his death.

Pensioners have also been victims of drownings during the heatwave. A woman in her 80s died after getting into difficulty on Walton-on-the-Naze beach on 10 August.

She was pulled from the water and was pronounced dead despite efforts of the public and paramedics.

Lee Heard, director of the RLSS, said there was a “direct correlation” between warm weather and an increase in the number of drownings.

“I think unfortunately this year has been really tragic, as was last year,” Mr Heard told The Independent.

“There’s an inevitability around the warm weather and the number of people that drown. We don’t want people to not go into water to enjoy and learn to swim, but the reason why so many people are drowning is there seems to be a lack of understanding of their ability to swim in open water.”

The temperature of open water is significantly cooler than indoor pools, which can lead to cold water shock and less confident swimmers to panic and drown quickly, Mr Heard said.

“In cold open water you normally can’t see the bottom, the temperature is much colder and there’s no one else there. I don’t think people are making the direct link between the safety precautions that exist in a swimming pool and their ability to swim in a pool, against their ability to swim in outdoor water,” Mr Heard said.

He added that if the extreme heat continued there was a “definite concern” that there would be an increase in the number of drowning deaths.

The RLSS, alongside other groups, has called for the government to introduce mandatory water safety classes in schools to remove barriers to learning to swim.

“We know around 50 per cent of children leave primary school with a government standard level of swimming ability,” Mr Heard said. “We know children from ethnically diverse and low-income backgrounds are the ones that are missing out on mandated swimming lessons. For me, what the government has failed to do is put a more equitable model in there.”

A spokesperson from the RLSS said: “The figure is, tragically, likely to be much higher, but with investigations continuing, these incidents cannot be confirmed as suspected accidental drownings at this time.”