AMBULANCE bosses in West Yorkshire have urged people to: stay out of the water.
They fear a rise in the number of calls to people getting into trouble in reservoirs, rivers and lakes especially in warm weather.
Every year the service is called to a number of incidents across the county where people have required emergency medical attention after swimming in rivers, reservoirs, ponds, quarries, lakes and canals.
Traditionally these incidents occur when the warm weather sets in and when schools break up for the summer holidays as more people head to one of the region’s waterways to enjoy a day out.
Sarah Fatchett, director of operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “The county’s many waterways are popular destinations for people during the summer months, which can make them dangerous places for those who take risks.
“Traditionally ambulance service call outs to open water rescues increase during the summer as people attempt to cool off and then get into difficulty.
“It may be very appealing to jump into the water to cool off on a warm summer’s day but people need to be aware of how dangerous it really is. Water can look calm on the surface but contain unseen debris and, rivers in particular, can have treacherous undercurrents.”
She said the water was often cold enough to take your breath away, which is the body's natural reaction and cannot be controlled, possibly leading to panic and drowning. Cold can also make your arms and legs numb which means you can't control them to swim and can also lead to hypothermia - a serious reduction in body temperature - which can cause heart failure.
