DON’T swim in rivers and lakes unless they are at supervised sites.

That is the message from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) which is urging people to take care when cooling off in rivers and lakes in the hot weather.

In previous years, the number of accidental drownings has peaked during hot spells. Last year was no exception and there were at least 20 suspected accidental drownings across the UK over the course of two weeks at the beginning of June.

Peter Cornall, head of leisure safety at RoSPA, said: “Every year at about this time, we issue a warning about the dangers of swimming in rivers and lakes when you do not fully understand the risks involved, and it is disappointing that the trend between hot weather and accidental drowning is continuing.”