Police and partner agencies issue water safety warning
News from our partners West Mercia Police
As local schools break up for the half-term holidays, Superintendent Mark Travis of West Mercia Police has taken the opportunity to remind people across the region to act responsibly and not put themselves at risk by behaving recklessly during the ongoing extreme weather conditions.
With water levels at unprecedented levels right across Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, West Mercia Police, as well as partner agencies such as the various local councils, the Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency, are concerned that people – including children – may leave themselves exposed to danger by playing close to, or even in, floodwater that is currently standing in many places.
Even in normal circumstances police warn people against playing in rivers, lakes and ponds, but with conditions as extreme as they are at the present time, these warnings are even more pertinent.
Speaking about police concerns, Superintendent Travis said:
“We would like to ask people to behave responsibly around the floodwater we currently have across West Mercia, as you simply never know what lies underneath the water itself or what currents are at work under the surface of it.
“With young people now breaking up for the half-term holidays I would ask that they do not do anything reckless in an attempt to impress their friends, or get too close to floodwater through being interested in what is happening.
“No matter how harmless or shallow floodwater looks, you can never be sure what lies beneath the surface of the water, and therefore by the time you realise you are in danger it could be too late.
“We’d also like to remind people of the need to behave responsibly in places such as Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Hereford, where there is an active night-time economy. The last thing we want is people getting themselves into difficulty because they have lost control due to alcohol intake.
“Please remember that the emergency services are working extremely hard to help those people who have become vulnerable due to the extreme weather conditions, and that resources are stretched right across the country.
“The last thing we need to be dealing with is people who have entered the water through their own recklessness or stupidity.
“Having to respond to incidents of this nature would take support away from the people who really are most in need of our help.”
For updates and information about the current flood conditions right across West Mercia, please log on to the dedicated page on the force website at www.westmercia.police.uk/flooding.html.
In addition, to find out more about keeping yourself safe you could also visit the Flood Safety page on the Royal Lifesaving Society’s website at www.rlss.org.uk/index.php/water-safety/water-safety-in-a-flood.
