Open water swimmers in the East urged to think again this Christmas
One of our fire services has shared their top cold water safety tips
People in Cambridgeshire who may be tempted to have a festive dip this year are being urged to think again.
Fire services in the East are sharing their top safety tips for those who fancy open water swimming or cold water dipping in our region.
Stuart Smith's the area commander at Cambridgeshire Fire Service:
"Try and swim with an organised group and make sure the safety arrangements are in place should somebody get into difficulty," he said.
"Make sure you're wearing appropriate clothing, like a wetsuit to make sure your body doesn't go into cold water shock.
"I think my main tip would be if you can, don't do it (open water swimming); if you do, do it in a group that's fully briefed on safety activities."
There is other safety advice that fire crews want people to follow over the Christmas-New Year period:
- Do not walk or play on ice
- Keep your pets away from ice and make sure they are on leads at all times
- Do not attempt to rescue your pet if they enter extremely cold water as this could put you in danger and your pet is more likely to rescue themselves
- If walking near cold water, go during daylight hours but if not, make sure the route is well lit
- Stay away from the edge of a cold water area
One place that's opening for people to swim between Christmas and New Year is the Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge, including between 9am and 12pm on Boxing Day and New Year's Day
As well as cold water, people are being warned to stay alert of any fire risks they may encounter, such asthrough devices powered by electric.
"For many, it's a time to come together but that makes it worse when we do get these tragedies in terms of fires in the home," Mr Smith said.
"We don't want to see them at any time of the year, but probably Christmastime will have a greater impact.
"I would urge people that might consider using candles, open fires, if your chimney's been swept, thinking about the safety of yourselves and others in the home when using naked flames is really important."