CUMBRIA Fire and Rescue Service have issued a warning to the public urging them to 'Be Water Aware' this summer. 

This is part of a new campaign to avoid drownings and raise awareness of water related incidents. 

Half of accidental drownings in the UK occur when people didn't intend to go in the water, many others involve people who did so intentionally and others with intention to harm themselves. 

Group Manager Angela Opie, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Lead, said: "We want people to enjoy spending time in and around water safely. Most people would be shocked to hear that in 2020, 254 lives were lost simply because people were spending time in and around water. This is because they were unaware of the risks and unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water.”

"In Cumbria, we carried out more than 200 water rescues between 2015 and 2020, which sadly included 8 fatalities. By highlighting this issue and making sure simple safety messages reach our communities, we hope to reduce the number of these preventable deaths.”

"Temperatures in Cumbria have started to rise slightly, but that does not mean all of our nearby waters are safe to be entered."