Safety warning to swimmers as heat warning issued

Swimmers are reminded to "relax, lean back and float" if they fell into water

A fire and rescue service has issued a warning to swimmers to "lean back and float" if they get into difficulty in open water.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue (OFRS) has published the water safety advice following concerns about people using lakes and waterways during the hot weather.

It comes after yellow heat-health alerts have been issued in many parts of the country.

The authority said there were "many hazards" under the surface that could cause injury and even deaths.

OFRS said that that falling or intentionally jumping into water could result in a cold shock response "even on a warm day".

Most of England is under yellow heat-health alerts, which will remain in force in eight regions until 17:00 on Thursday.

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Deb Forder, safety manager for the service, said: "Your body’s cold shock response, which speeds up the heart rate, may conflict with the diving response, which does the opposite, causing your heart to go into abnormal rhythms, which can cause sudden death.

“If you fall in, remember to relax, lean back and float until you can control your breathing.”

She explained that the shock would make muscles become weaker, which could affect swimmers' ability and coordination.

The UK Health Security Agency yellow alerts indicate the hot weather could pose a risk to the vulnerable

OFRS added that "it is not always possible to see what is under the water".

"This could be anything from large rocks to machinery, from shopping trolleys to branches and even fish hooks or broken fishing line," it said.

It also cautioned against moving water, such as rivers, as strong currents could carry swimmers into danger.

The service advised that anyone witnessing someone in trouble in the water should call emergency services, instead of entering the water themselves.

It also said that using supervised venues or swimming pools was "much safer".