Calls made to install water safety barriers after Cambridgeshire deaths
Three people have died in open water in the county within the last two months
An underwater search and rescue team says barriers along Cambridgeshire's rivers and other open waterways could make them safer to be around.
It comes after three people have died in separate incidents involving open water in Cambridgeshire within the last two months.
"It would be unfeasible to be able to put barriers across all our canals and rivers, which we're talking about tens of thousands of miles, Phil Jones, team leader at Beneath The Surface, said.
"We do talk to councils when there's been a situation to see whether they can increase safety precautions with barriers."
Beneath The Surface (BTS) is an underwater search and recovery team, made up of volunteers who travel across the UK at the request of families or police to help search for missing loved ones.
The team work other jobs in the week and are called out at weekends to where they're needed.
'If you miss by an inch, you miss by a mile'
Phil said BTS - which has been running since 2018 - gets around 20 to 30 callouts a year and is usually called days or weeks after initial searches have taken place.
One of BTS' most recent callouts was the search for 18-year-old Declan Berry, whose body was found in the River Nene in Wisbech after the car he was travelling in entered the water.
The body of Eden Bunn, 16, from Sutton Bridge, was recovered from the water the day after the collision.
On Easter Monday, a boy died after reports of a child in the water near March.
"We have a saying that if you miss by an inch, you miss by a mile," Phil said.
"You can be not very far away from what you're looking for but not being able to see it and just miss it, so we do re-cover areas multiple times to try and be as thorough as possible.
"Quite often, you can't see your hand in front of your face at times; it's (UK waters) very cold and you've got to be very comfortable being in water and train for whatever hazards you may find underwater."
Water safety awareness
Figures from the National Water Safety Forum show 15 people in Cambridgeshire died by accidental drowning between 2020 and 2024.
Between 2019 and 2024, the NFCC say 1,602 people in the UK lost their lives to accidental drowning incidents, with 56% of these happening in inland waters such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
The NFCC also claim half of people who drown did not intend to enter the water.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service are teaming up with volunteers to deliver training on how to use throwlines and other safety tips as temperatures begin to rise.
Phil believes more work can be done to encourage more people to take on advice and guidance on open water safety.
"I think what we need to do is keep pushing the awareness; don't be pushed by peer pressure, know your location," he added.
"It's more about preventing the emergency from happening rather than what do we do in an emergency situation.
"There's a lot of people who drown and never intended to go into the water, so it's important to know the risks and stay away from the edges if possible."