Water safety
It’s fascinating! It’s fun, but water can also be dangerous. Reservoirs. Lakes. Rivers. Canals. The sea. In this section, learn how to stay safe around water.
Did you know?…
1 Water in reservoirs can be very deep; many are in V shaped valleys so they get deep very quickly. They can also be hard to climb out of and you can get caught in logs and twigs or even machinery you cannot see. Reservoirs are often very lonely places, there are no lifeguards there looking after you.
2 Even in the summer the water in reservoirs is very cold-possibly freezing- just a meter under the surface. You can suffer from hypothermia in water less than 10°C. Even on a sunny day the water will only be about 5°C.
3 Waste Water Treatment Works have deep tanks and pools. Some tanks are as deep as 3 double-decker buses. They also have lots of dangerous machinery. NEVER play in Water Treatment Works.
4 Learning to swim is a very important skill. Swimming is good fun and good for your health. If you want to go swimming with friends go to a public swimming pool where there are lifeguards and take notice of safety signs.
5 To swim safely in the sea, find the red and yellow flags and swim between them. Never swim where a sign says not to, or when the red flag is flying. Always swim in the sea with an adult.
6 Hot tubs, spas and swimming pools, are the most likely cause of drowning in children 1 - 4 years old.
7 In 2005, 39 children under 15 years old drowned.
Watch a short film about reservoir safety
Watch a short film about the hidden dangers of construction sites
Download and keep our reservoir safety poster
Download our cartoon strip - keep out of reservoirs
