Parliament Hill Lido sees one hypothermia case a day

The lido has urged swimmers to be cautious in the winter months

A lido has urged swimmers to spend less time in the water, after seeing at least one hypothermia case a day over the past week.

Parliament Hill Lido in Hampstead, north London, issued the warning on its Facebook page after lifeguards noticed a rise in cases.

Cold water swimming has increased in popularity amid reports about its numerous health benefits.

But it can be dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.

A member of the Parliament Hill Lido User Group asked swimmers to avoid spending too long in the water in light of the recent hypothermia cases.

"The lifeguard team have asked you all to be careful and to shorten your swim from now on," the user wrote.

"We have had at least one hypothermic incident every day for the last week."

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Swimmers were also warned not to use the saunas to warm up if they got into trouble.

"Everyone that has got into difficulties this week has tried using the sauna to warm themselves up. It does not always work, and sometimes makes warming up more complicated."

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The lido told the BBC that although none of the cases was serious enough to require hospital treatment, the lifeguards were taken away from their other duties, putting swimmers at risk.

Staying safe

One member of the swimmers' group said they had seen the lifeguards "calmly handle two emergencies within a 15-minute period".

Emma Rea, co-chair of the Parliament Hill User Group, asked swimmers to "listen to their body" and "recognise that you are not there to push yourself to the limits".

She told BBC London the lido had been "rather inundated by people wanting to try out this new 'craze' of winter swimming in recent years".

Ms Rea advised new swimmers to consider the temperature before entering the pool, and not to go in if they had been drinking or had not slept enough the night before.

A spokesperson for the Hampstead Heath charity reminded visitors that "there are risks associated with cold water swimming, even for regular winter swimmers".

"We are advising people to swim with care and only spend a short amount of time in the water."

For more information on how to stay safe while cold water swimming, please see the RNLI's advice here.