The Environment Agency is urging young people planning to go swimming, fishing, cycle or simply hang out with friends down by their local river over the summer holidays to be aware of the dangers posed by fast-currents, cold water, structures such as weirs and locks, and unstable riverbanks.

The Agency in partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) has produced a ‘Be Safe around water’ leaflet designed to be sent to both primary and secondary schools throughout the region.

Nick Gupta, Wessex Area Manager for the Environment, said: “Each year around 50 children under the age of 16 drown. It is third most common cause of accidental death amongst youngsters.’

In June this year, 18-year-old Jonathan Morton drowned in a tragic accident in the Hampshire Avon river at Downton.

‘Jonathan’s death is a reminder of the dangers that swimming in rivers or the sea may present. Now as the school holidays approach children need to be especially aware of the risks.’

The leaflet was sent as a pdf file to the education departments of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall county councils, who then used their own web-based systems to cascade the message to all their local schools.

The Environment Agency promotes the use of water for recreation purposes and also wants to warn of the dangers.

Water may look safe, but it can be dangerous. Young people may swim well in a warm indoor pool, but that does not mean that they will be able to swim in cold water.

The dangers of water include:

The speed of many rivers and sea currents are often well beyond the ability of even the strongest swimmers to cope with safely
Unseen underwater obstructions exist in many places. These can include submerged pipe outfalls and discarded items such as shopping trolleys.
Other hazards such as broken glass and metal that have been illegally dumped can cut and injure. Weeds can also trap the unwary swimmer.
Weirs, locks, piers and other structures demand extra care from users and visitors.

Young people may be able to help themselves and others if they know what to do in an emergency. If they see someone in difficulty, they are urged to tell somebody, preferably a Lifeguard, or go to the nearest telephone, dial 999, ask for the Police at inland water sites and the Coastguard at the beach.

Other tips on the leaflet include:

Don’t jump or dive into rivers or open water where the depth is uncertain. If you can not see the bottom it may just be that the water is not clear.
Be aware of the dangers of structures
Be prepared for cold water or changes in weather
Make sure you are supervised by an adult
Don’t swim where there may be strong currents and undertows

The Environment Agency manages some 1,000km of inland waterway across England and Wales and issues safety advice as part of its role to encourage everyone to enjoy these rivers as well as coastal waters wisely.

The message is clear: Please take care when in, on and around water.

For more information on water safety visit:

http://www.rospa.com/ruadummy2/index.htm

Children and teachers can also find out more on:

www.wow4water.net/ and www.getsafe4summer.org.

Police Post Box at Downton Co-Op

The local police team has installed a Police Post box at the Co-Op. This post box can be used to contact the police for:

Crime information
Anti-social behaviour information
Crime reduction ideas or initiatives
General information from local officers

The box is checked regularly by a local officer but should not be used for reporting crimes or urgent enquiries.

HGV Restriction is Celebrated

Celebrating the positioning of the last of many road signs around Downton, Redlynch and the New Forest are Robert Key MP, County Councillor Julian Johnson, District Councillor Jane Launchbury, members of the "Downton Residents Against Traffic (DRAT)" group, and PC Matt Holland - Community Beat Manager.

It has taken 12 years to impose a lorry ban through the villages on the B3080 in south Wiltshire. Over the years there had been a significant increase in the number of large lorries using the road, frequently at night or in the early morning, causing much noise and stress to local residents living alongside the road.

Wiltshire county Councillor Julian Johnson commented " I am delighted that at last we now have the HGV ban in place on the busy B3080. These restrictions will do much to improve the quality of life for those people living in Downton and Redlynch and I thank all those who campaigned so hard over the years to help in bringing it about".

The need now to enforce the new area-wide weight restrictions for Downton and Redlynch was highlighted during consultation with local communities and was identified as a Policing priority. The Neighbourhood Policing Team have been carrying out enforcement checks since the beginning of April, when the temporary Tannery Bridge signs were removed and the permament ban came into force. Over 40 heavy commercial vehicles have been stopped during this period. Whilst the majority of lorries were found to have legitimate access for the purpose of local deliveries, officers have issued Fixed Penalty fines to drivers of 6 vehicles as well as handing out maps showing the zone boundaries to increase awareness of the new restrictions. Enforcement will remain a high priority to ensure that lorry drivers do not attempt to use the B3080 as a convenient rat-run.

Salisbury District Councillor Jane Launchbury said, “We are delighted with the impact of the HGV restriction scheme and it is excellent that the Neighbourhood Police Team (NPT) has already started working on enforcement as a local priority. We are grateful to our NPT officers and also to the Police Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit who are working to help our community.”

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