Mother of Bournemouth beach drowning victim calls for improved water safety
Sunnah Khan, 12 and Joe Abbess, 17 died after drowning at the beach in May
Proposals to improve water safety from the mother of a 12-year-old girl who drowned off Bournemouth beach have been heard in Parliament.
Sunnah Khan, 12, from Buckinghamshire, drowned in May after she was suspected to have been caught in a rip tide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort.
Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton also died in the incident, and eight other people were treated by paramedics.
Conservative MP Rob Butler (Aylesbury) raised the incident in the Commons during an adjournment debate on water safety and drowning prevention.
He used the debate to voice a call from Sunnah's mother, his constituent Stephanie Williams, to improve water safety.
He said she told him that with the summer holidays approaching she is concerned "about the likelihood that more parents will receive the devastating news that their child has drowned".
Mr Butler described how Ms Williams told him that she did not know how to escape a rip tide until after her daughter died, and feared that many others still do not know.
He said: "There is a strong case for water safety to be taught to children in particular. And the most obvious way to do so is at school."
He said swimming lessons are "not quite the same as teaching water safety in its broadest sense", and added: "It is worth giving additional consideration to increasing water safety in our schools."
He said Ms Williams also wanted to see improved signage near to water, and to encourage people to wear brightly coloured swimwear to make it easier to identify them in the water in case of emergency.
He told the Commons: "The summer holidays are almost upon us, many of us will be heading to lakes, rivers and the coast to spend time relaxing.
"The water is a great place to enjoy but we need to do it safely. Because at the moment, too many people are dying when they don't need to.
"As Stephanie says, we can do better, there is no need for this to keep happening, it is preventable. If we teach it at school we are setting them up for a lifetime of safe water."
Education minister Claire Coutinho said: "We absolutely support the teaching of swimming and water safety to all children during their time at school."
She referenced existing guidance in the nation curriculum, which says primary school children should learn to "perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations".
The minister said an update to the school sport and activity action plan will be published "shortly", and said resources are available to schools to teach water safety.
She added: "In partnership with sector organisations, we are supporting more schools to teach primary and secondary pupils important aspects of water safety, and that will include cold-water shock, rip currents and keeping safe near frozen water."