Children taught how to swim in open water in Birmingham

Hundreds of schoolchildren are having a go at outdoor swimming this week.

The RNLI-led scheme usually takes place near the coast but after a number of drownings it's being held in Birmingham, by Spaghetti Junction.

It comes after two Birmingham boys, Yanye Omar Mohamed, 14, and Waseem Muflahi, 15, drowned in the sea at Barmouth, Gwynedd.

Last month, Spencer Hurst, 15, died while swimming in a lake at Pelsall, near Walsall.

Kerry Wyse, Swim Safe instructor said: "It's all about trying not to panic and getting their breathing under control."