BERKSHIRE fire service are raising awareness of the dangers of jumping in water as it is water rescue incidents increased last year.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) are raising awareness as part of Be Water Aware Week (April 24-30), a campaign that encourages people to spend time in and around water safely. 

According to the RBFRS website, last year the Berkshire fire service responded to 36 water rescue incidents involving people getting into difficulty in Berkshire’s waterways – an increase of 50 per cent since 2020.

Via a social media post, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service warn of the dangers: "Jumping from bridges into lakes and rivers carries serious risks as Its almost impossible to see what's hidden beneath the water.

"Shallow water, rocks and litter are just some of the dangers that await unsuspecting swimmers."

 

To raise public awareness around water safety, RBFRS will be supporting various initiatives in Berkshire this year - including delivering water safety advice at events and fire station open days, providing water safety education to secondary school children, patrolling known high-risk areas and giving face-to-face advice to people taking part in activities near, or in, the water.

As the warmer months are approaching it is important to be aware of the dangers of jumping into water.