Many Londoners enjoy open water some way or another: from wild swimming to relaxing by the River Thames.
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On the hottest day of the year so far, Londoners are being reminded to take care around open water.
Temperatures in Northolt, west London, have reached 20.6C, according to the Met Office.
Matt Croxall, Charity Director at the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSSUK), said it was important to understand your surroundings when enjoying the water during spring and summer.
“People are more likely to go out and explore their local waterways, go on holiday, and go to the beach to cool down. They are more likely to put themselves at risk when they’re not familiar with the area of water that they’re going to,” he told City London News.
Higher temperatures are directly linked to an increase in accidental drowning fatalities, according to research from RLSSUK and Bournemouth University.
Thursday has been the hottest day of 2025 so far. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Floating saves lives
Cold water shock can be triggered by the difference between air and water temperature, taking your breath away and an triggering an instinct to swim hard kicks in.
Instead, float.
This allows you to catch your breath and let the shock pass.
The best thing to do is get on your back and float as much as you can, just regain that composure. Those really vital seconds and minutes enable somebody to spot that you’re in trouble.
Stop and think: look around your surroundings for any dangers there may be and read any safety signs.
Stay together: go in a group so somebody knows where you are, and swim at lifeguarded sites.
Call 999: if somebody is in danger, call the emergency services. Do not enter the water to rescue.
Float: if you fall in or are tired. Throw something that floats to somebody who has fallen in.
‘Don’t drink and drown’
One quarter of accidental drownings are linked to alcohol or drugs.
Among young men aged 18 to 25, this figure rises to nearly half of cases.
RLSSUK have urged individuals to take responsibility for their friends who are under the influence, making sure they avoid the water and return home safely.
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StandfirstRoyal Life Saving Society urges Londoners to understand their surroundings when enjoying open water, on the hottest day of the year so far.
On the hottest day of the year so far, Londoners are being reminded to take care around open water.
Temperatures in Northolt, west London, have reached 20.6C, according to the Met Office.
Matt Croxall, Charity Director at the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSSUK), said it was important to understand your surroundings when enjoying the water during spring and summer.
“People are more likely to go out and explore their local waterways, go on holiday, and go to the beach to cool down. They are more likely to put themselves at risk when they’re not familiar with the area of water that they’re going to,” he told City London News.
Higher temperatures are directly linked to an increase in accidental drowning fatalities, according to research from RLSSUK and Bournemouth University.
Thursday has been the hottest day of 2025 so far. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Floating saves lives
Cold water shock can be triggered by the difference between air and water temperature, taking your breath away and an triggering an instinct to swim hard kicks in.
Instead, float.
This allows you to catch your breath and let the shock pass.
The best thing to do is get on your back and float as much as you can, just regain that composure. Those really vital seconds and minutes enable somebody to spot that you’re in trouble.
Stop and think: look around your surroundings for any dangers there may be and read any safety signs.
Stay together: go in a group so somebody knows where you are, and swim at lifeguarded sites.
Call 999: if somebody is in danger, call the emergency services. Do not enter the water to rescue.
Float: if you fall in or are tired. Throw something that floats to somebody who has fallen in.
‘Don’t drink and drown’
One quarter of accidental drownings are linked to alcohol or drugs.
Among young men aged 18 to 25, this figure rises to nearly half of cases.
RLSSUK have urged individuals to take responsibility for their friends who are under the influence, making sure they avoid the water and return home safely.
