Rotherham Council urged to improve water safety following South Yorkshire deaths
This comes after the death of 16-year-old Muhammad Secka at Rother Valley Country Park, and 11-year-old Mackenzie Swift who drowned in the River Don in Mexborough over recent months.
Rotherham Council is being urged to improve water safety measures following a rise in water-related deaths in South Yorkshire.
Independent councillor Jodie Ryalls is set to forward a motion calling for urgent national support and education on keeping safe at open water sites.
This comes after the death of 16-year-old Muhammad Secka at Rother Valley Country Park, and 11-year-old Mackenzie Swift who drowned in the River Don in Mexborough over recent months.
The motion urges the need for ‘widespread public safety education’, as well as the formal legislative passing of ‘Sam’s Law’ to provide life-saving rescue equipment around high-risk open waters.
It calls for the council to conduct an internal review of council-managed open water sites, and their safety infrastructure and staffing arrangements, and report the findings the the scrutiny committee within four months.
It also calls for council leader, Chris Read, to write to local MPs and urge them to support the measures and advocate for a national public awareness campaign on water safety.
Through the motion, the councillor is urging the government to appoint a dedicated Minister for Water Safety and Drowning Prevention, to provide clear national leadership and create prevention and response plans.
The motion is set to be discussed at a full council meeting on July 15, 2026.