Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue warn of the dangers of open water
This summer saw a rise in the amount of people swimming in open water, which can be dangerous without adding the freezing temperatures
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue are urging people to be aware of the dangers of open water, especially with freezing temperatures.
Area Manager for Prevention and Protection at Lincolnshire fire and Rescue Daniel Moss has urged the people of Lincolnshire to be vigilant and careful around open water sources.
There are many places in Lincolnshire that offer a walk in the countryside with a water source nearby, this is where the danger begins.
Daniel says that he understands many people will enjoy and seek out a scenic route to walk, or bring their dogs to, but animals and people can be drawn to the water, his message is for those people to be careful:
"Any open water- even without the ice and cold temperatures- because of the masses of water, the temperatures never rises a lot and as such, even in the summer months that cold water immersion and cold-water shock creates significant imbalances to the body, increases breathing rates, increases heart rates, raises blood pressure, etcetera. We recognize that actually, when they're in cold water you lose, four times quicker your body temperature. Then, you are in the cold air...
"So actually, the general message around open water is please don't go in. We urge people to stay away."
Daniel also detailed that even when a lake is iced over, it's not necessarily safe to go on or near:
"What might appear to be a nice thick layer of ice that is over the top of the open water, absolutely won't be. We are urging people not to go anywhere near that and as we've seen with the tragic incident and the circumstances over in Solihull, and you know these circumstances can have tragic outcomes, unfortunately."
For more information for safety advice, guidance can be found on the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue website.