Westminster Life: Focus on water safety in the hotter weather
These last few weeks we’ve had some warm weather in Peterborough and across the country, but the sunshine has sadly had some of the warmth taken out of it by a number of people losing their lives in the water.
In the most recent heat wave nineteen people lost their lives through drowning, thirteen of them children. These are preventable deaths. Water safety should never be an afterthought, yet every year in England the equivalent of a classroom of children loses their lives to drowning. That is why I am proud to join the Daily Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam campaign.
The campaign is named in memory of 16 year old Sam Haycock, who tragically drowned after jumping into Ulley Reservoir in South Yorkshire in 2021. His parents, supported by the Royal Life Saving Society UK, have turned grief into action so that no other family has to go through what they have suffered. MPs, charities and Olympic swimmers are now standing alongside them to demand change before another summer passes with more preventable deaths.
This week I attended a Parliament debate on water safety, where MPs highlighted the scale of the problem and the need for a proper national strategy. Too many of the stories we heard were heartbreakingly similar: a hot day, young people heading to rivers, lakes or reservoirs, cold water shock and hidden currents, and emergency services arriving too late. Drowning is often sudden and silent; by the time anyone realises something is wrong, it can already be too late.
We need practical steps to help improve water safety. First, a national public awareness campaign before the school summer holidays, using TV and social media to reach families with clear messages about cold water shock, hidden hazards and what to do if someone gets into difficulty. Second, mandatory water safety lessons so that every child learns the Water Safety Code and simple techniques like “Float to Live” and how to call for help safely. Third, “Sam’s Law”, new duties on those responsible for high risk open water sites to provide and maintain basic life saving equipment like throw lines, life rings and clear signage, with tougher penalties for vandalism.
Here in Peterborough, we are proud of our rivers, lakes and waterways, from the Nene to our parks, but they also bring responsibilities for those who manage them. That is why I have written to Anglian Water, which has a large footprint across our region, asking what safety policies and risk assessments it currently has in place at reservoirs, lakes and popular recreation spots. I have asked what life saving equipment is installed and how often it is checked, what communication is planned this summer to warn about cold water shock and hidden dangers, and whether Anglian Water will back the Save Lives for Sam campaign publicly.
As your MP, my job is to link what happens in Westminster with the concerns you raise with me here at home. Supporting Save Lives for Sam is one part of that, but I am equally focused on the practical steps we can take locally before this summer is over. My aim is simple: to make sure that national campaigns lead to local action here in Peterborough.