大象传媒

The mum of a teenage boy who died after swimming in a local river is calling for children to be better educated on the dangers of open water.

Kaleigh Wharton's 13 year old son Kieran was pulled from the River Soar in Barrow-upon-Soar just over a year ago.

She wants parents and schools to teach how dangerous the water can be, and has an ongoing petition calling for swimming lessons to be mandatory in primary schools.

She told Ady Dayman that the family's making plans for a lasting tribute to Kieran including extra lifebuoys on the riverbank where he was found.

A Department for Education spokesperson has previously told us that: "New non-statutory PE and sport guidance will be published that will help primary schools to overcome barriers to teaching swimming and water safety. "We will continue to work closely with Swim England, The Royal Life Saving Society UK and RNLI to support pupils being taught how to swim and water safety through a number of routes."