A national strategy to address what officials described as a “public health disaster” of drowning has been launched in England, hours after two women died at a beach amid a surge in water-related tragedies. Among the measures being considered are water safety education and swimming lessons for every child in England, research into how climate change can increase risks, and media campaigns to help bystanders respond to a potential drowning.
Drowning prevention strategies for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are also being launched this week.
What did officials say at the launch?
Speaking at the announcement of the strategy in Canary Wharf, east London, on Thursday, Prof Mike Tipton, the chair of Water Safety England, said the measures would “eradicate the scourge of drowning”.
“Drowning is an ongoing public health disaster that, despite claiming more lives than fire, flooding, or knife crime, often stays below the radar.”
Vanessa Abbess, whose 17-year-old son, Joe, died after getting into difficulty in the water off beach in 2023, warned the public against being “naive and complacent”. Sunnah Khan, a 12-year-old girl, died alongside Joe after being caught in a rip current.
“As a society, there’s an element of naivety and complacency regarding the dangers of open water swimming.
“It’s not enough to know how to swim in a warm pool if you don’t know what to do to help your chances of survival if conditions change or you find yourself in difficulty in open water. The risk needs to be assessed. You need to stop and think. You wouldn’t cross a road without thinking.”
Abbess said her son was a confident swimmer and was being sensible at the time of the incident, swimming between the lifeguard flags “when the sea conditions suddenly changed and a ferocious rip current hit which swept them off their feet”. Joe was recovered from the water 32 minutes later, but died on the beach.
“The reality and permanence of Joe’s death is still very difficult to process,”
“Our lives were so normal until 31 May 2023, when Joe caught the train to Bournemouth for a beach day with his friends, as he had done before. We had no cause for concern. We had no idea he wouldn’t come home at the end of that day,” she said. “However, by that evening, our family of four had become a family of three.”
“With a lot of therapy, I cope, but I’m not the person I used to be. I’m anxious, very traumatised, and carry the pain of grief constantly. The sound of waves causes me anxiety. The sunny days are particularly triggering. I hope it never does, but I’m very worried it’ll happen again at Bournemouth one day.”
How serious has the problem become this summer?
The UK has experienced three near-successive heatwaves this summer and since May there have been at least 35 drowning deaths, including eight in July, according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 2,306 water-related deaths in England, with 42% being accidental.
Of these, 39% happened during summer, and 80% were male, most of them aged between 20 and 29.
On Thursday, a woman and her teenage daughter, in Essex, police said. According to reports, several people got into difficulty in the water near Seaview Avenue.
How are campaigners trying to reach younger people?
To help spread the message to young people, TikTok donated more than £400,000 in advertising credits to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Royal Life Saving Society for their water safety campaigns.
Earlier this week, it was working with leading water safety charities to highlight the risks of swimming in open water as schools across the UK broke up for summer.
What happens next?
Darren Paffey, the MP for Southampton Itchen and chair of the all-party parliamentary group for water safety education, said the strategy marked the beginning of longer-term change.
“Today is a really important milestone but it’s also the start line in some ways. The hard work now begins to turn this strategy into sustained generational change in memory of everyone who has tragically lost their life to drowning.”
Key Facts
- A national drowning prevention strategy has been launched in England, with similar strategies for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also announced this week.
- Measures under consideration include water safety education and swimming lessons for every child in England, climate change risk research and bystander response campaigns.
- Since May, there have been at least 35 drowning deaths in the UK, including eight in July, according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
- Between 2019 and 2023, England recorded 2,306 water-related deaths, 42% of them accidental.
- TikTok donated more than £400,000 in advertising credits to support water safety campaigns.
