Summer holidays water safety reminder from Worcester-based Royal Life Saving Society
The charity is urging parents to check their children know how to look after themselves when around open bodies of water
Parents in Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being told to check their children know how to stay safe near open bodies of water following the start of the summer half-term.
The reminder comes from the Worcester-based Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), with several water-related fatalities already having occurred so far this year during recent warm weather.
It also follows the launch of the RLSS' Speak Up. Be a Mate campaign, which aims to encourage teenagers to speak up when friends are taking dangerous risks around water.
Head of water safety and education at Royal Life Saving Society UK, Ashley Jones, said: "We know that lots of people love to head to the water during their summer holidays, whether that's the beach, or inland venues such as aqua parks, or whether they're just going to their local swimming pools.
"It's really important that they do that safely and choose a safe place to swim, so if you are going to go to the beach this summer, try and find a safe place to swim.
So that's a lifeguarded beach, lifeguards are usually there 10am until 6pm, and in that time if it is safe to swim, they will have two red and yellow flags there, and that's for you to go and swim in between."
Further safety advice can be found on the RLSS website, with the RNLI also having a tool which allows people to search for lifeguarded beaches.