Water safety changes 'not happening quick enough'

Rebecca Ramsay says there have been strides made in water safety but youngsters were still losing their lives

A water safety campaigner has described her "frustration" at changes "not being put in quick enough" to prevent lives being lost.

Rebecca Ramsay's son Dylan drowned at Hill Top Quarry in Whittle-le-Woods, near Chorley, in 2011.

Since then she has devoted her life to improving water safety and got it added to the national school curriculum after a 12-year campaign.

Ms Ramsay, from Chorley, said it was "absolutely heartbreaking" young people are still tragically losing their lives when getting into difficulty swimming in open water.

Dylan Ramsay drowned at Hill Top Quarry in Whittle-le-Woods in 2011

She told BBC Radio Lancashire she always worried when the weather got warmer and was desperate for young people to stay away from swimming in quarries and reservoirs.

Ms Ramsay, who was awarded a British Empire Medal in 2019 for her work in campaigning for water safety, has visited schools to educate children on the risks since her son's death.

She said since water safety was put on the national curriculum she had noticed "small changes", with schools she offered to go to having already booked someone to speak to children about it, or having done it themselves.

"That's refreshing," she said.

"Changes are being put in place but we are not doing it quick enough.

"Some changes that are being put in place now... I was putting those recommendations in within weeks of Dylan losing his life.

She added: "It is quite frustrating that it has taken 14 years for things to pass down."