River safety rings not enough say bereaved parents

Ronalds Abele was 17 when he died after getting into difficulty in the River Nene

The parents of a teenager who died in a river have welcomed safety improvements but said more must be done to prevent further deaths.

Ronalds Abele, 17, died after he was helped from the River Nene at Wellingborough embankment in Northamptonshire in May last year.

Thomas Okyere and Laura Kirsteine said they were pleased with five new safety rings, lighting and improved moorings but said there were still too few safety devices.

Gregory Wilcox, North Northamptonshire Council's executive member for communities, agreed with them that there was "more to be done".

Ronalds was part of a group of seven young people who swam along the embankment on during warm weather on 10 May 2024.

Despite being a strong swimmer the teenager started to struggle to stay afloat while racing with a friend in the River Nene.

An annual safety event takes place where the teenager faced difficulties while swimming

His parents called for improvements at a water safety day held in Ronalds' memory at the embankment last summer.

They revisited the area on Friday for the annual event, which coincides with World Drowning Prevention Day.

At the latest event Ms Kirsteine said two sets of safety equipment had been added to the lower lock - where Ronalds had been swimming - one to the embankment and two to the upper lock.

She said: "There are definitely things that need to be done - there is only one ring on the whole stretch of the embankment, and there is a splash park just there where families are on sunny days.

"This is not enough because the stretch is too great if anyone falls into the water.

"We would love to see more safety equipment, maybe throwlines and a defibrillator and a bleed kit."

Mr Okyere added: "There is only one ring here, between the upper lock and the lower lock, so we believe there should be a couple more."

While improvements were welcomed, Ronalds' parents said more is needed

Wilcox said a safety partnership between the council and emergency services was "getting somewhere".

"I will take it on and make sure its carried forward because we want this to be a safe place," he added.

When asked if more signage and more equipment could be installed, he said "yes, definitely".

"I promised Thomas that I will look into and put my shoulder to the wheel to make sure things are improved," he said.