Mum's water safety plea 10 years after son's death

Fiona Gosling returned to the River Wear to warn young people about the dangers of water

Ten years since her son died after getting into difficulty in water, a mother has pleaded with other youngsters to listen to safety advice in warm weather as the school summer holidays start.

Cameron Gosling, 14, from Crook, experienced cold water shock when he jumped into the River Wear near Bishop Auckland on a hot day in July 2015.

His mother, Fiona Gosling, has spent the years since going into schools to teach children about acclimatising themselves to the water temperature before going in fully, and checking if there is phone signal in case they need to call for help.

She said losing her child meant "every time you lock the door you know that one of your kids is never coming back through".

Cameron had been with friends on one of the hottest days of the year, Mrs Gosling said.

He was a strong swimmer but jumping in the cold water left him struggling.

Shock can occur when the body is suddenly immersed in cold water, resulting in involuntary reactions such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, rapid breathing, and gasping.

This can reduce the ability to swim, potentially leading to drowning.

Cameron surfaced once and called for help and his friends tried to save him, getting themselves into trouble with their efforts, but, after a major search, divers found his body seven hours later.

Cameron Gosling was the comedian of the house, his mother said

Mrs Gosling returned to the River Wear at Riverside Park in Chester-le-Street on Thursday to raise awareness ahead of the school holidays.

She urged parents to speak to their children and re-enforce the safety advice.

"I live in the real world and I know it doesn't matter how you say to kids, 'Don't go in', there's always going to be a draw to water," she said.

"You've just got to give them the tools to protect themselves."

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue station manager Gary Tough said it can be "very be tempting to enter the water to cool down" on a sunny day.

He warned people can get in trouble "very quickly" in deep, fast-flowing, cold water.

Mr Tough said people should remember to float on their backs, and to call 999 if they see someone in trouble.

Last year the service had 16 water-rescue incidents, and 19 the year before, he said.

There had already been a water-related death in Darlington earlier this year.

"That sort of incident leaves its mark on every firefighter that attends," Mr Tough said.

"The impact of a tragic incident like that on family members, friends, the wider public, is massive."