RESIDENTS in and around Chester are being told they are risking their lives if they swim in open water during the warm weather.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service personnel are advising against cooling off in rivers, canals, ponds, quarries and lakes with the message that doing so can have deadly consequences.
The warning comes after two fatalities in 2009, including a man who drowned at Hatchmere Lake in Northwich and a teenager who lost his life at Walton Reservoir in Warrington.
Earlier this month, a 13-year-old boy died while swimming at a disused quarry near Chorley, Lancashire.
People wanting to cool off this summer are being urged not to swim anywhere other than in purpose-built and supervised swimming pools, unless they are members of organised groups.
The service’s head of unitary performance, Terry McDermott, said: “I cannot stress enough the dangers that exist in open water. It is so easy to get into difficulties due to factors you did not even know existed.
“The water may look calm on the surface, but there may still be strong undercurrents that could pull even a strong swimmer under. The water may also feel relatively warm on the surface, but just a few feet below can be icy cold even in the hot weather and can very quickly cause severe cramp and hypothermia.”