UK Heatwave: How to stay safe in the water this summer

Video caption, Top tips on staying safe in and around water

When the weather's warm and sunny it can be tempting to go for a swim, but would you know what to do if you got into trouble?

The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) are a charity who campaign to raise awareness of how to stay safe around water.

They provide schools with resources and special water safety swimming lessons for children so they can learn to stay safe.

The RLSS want people to enjoy the water whilst being safe by following their top tips including, always looking out for lifeguards, not swimming too far out and knowing that water can be colder than it looks, which can affect your ability to swim.

You might be a good swimmer in a warm indoor pool, but that doesn't mean that you will be able to swim in cold water outside and you could get into serious trouble - putting yourself at risk of drowning.

Children should always go swimming with an adult and never by themselves, says The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA).

Video caption, Olympic swimmer Steve Parry tells us how to stay safe around water
Image caption, It is important to take notice of any warning signs

What should you do around open water to stay safe?

Lee Heard, Director of the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) told Newsround that if you are considering cooling off in open water then you should not "unless you are supervised by a well-trained and professional lifeguard."

Here are the charity's top tips for staying safe:

  • Look for lifeguards - if you are looking for a place to cool off, always find a swimming site that has a lifeguard
  • Be extra careful around water; it is colder than it looks - water at open water and inland sites is usually much colder than it looks. Cold water causes your body to go into shock - affecting your ability to swim and self-rescue
  • When in the water stay close to the edge - always swim parallel to the shore, that way you're never too far away from safety
  • Always stay near friends or family - if anything goes wrong, you've got someone there to help
  • Learn basic survival, self-rescue and rescue skills
  • Don't take any risks - you may think it is fun to play around in water unsupervised or to jump off rocks but it can be very dangerous and help or rescue may be a long way away.