Irish Water Safety Reveals Holiday Weekend Warning

Irish Water Safety, the statutory body that promotes water safety in Ireland, has urged the public to take care over the May Bank Holiday weekend, if pursuing water-based activities.

The body has reported there are 140 drownings in Ireland every year, amounting to over five every two weeks.

"There are many reasons people drown yet on Bank Holiday weekends, people often become complacent and put themselves and their families in situations that result in injury or loss of life," a statement from the group said. "People have a responsibility to themselves and family to stay safe around water by knowing the dangers and learning from the situations that have led to tragic drownings in the past."



Irish Water Safety has released a list of pointers to remember when swimming or undertaking other water-based activities this holiday weekend:



• Always wear a Lifejacket when on water and ensure that it has a correctly fitted crotch strap

• Shore walkers should stay away from the edge and beach walkers should remain vigilant to the dangers of being stranded

• Ensure that you are fully trained and competent for your aquatic activity

• Be mindful of the safety of family and friends, especially children. Children are naturally curious about water and constant supervision is the safest way to avoid tragedy. Parents of primary school children should check if their local school has yet introduced Irish Water Safety's PAWS programme - Primary Aquatics Water Safety

• Anglers should be extremely vigilant when fishing from the shoreline of Atlantic swells

• Swimmers should swim parallel and close to the shore and be aware that water is still too cold for extended swims

• Alcohol should be avoided before or during any aquatic activity. On average, a third of drowning victims had consumed alcohol.



(IT/JP)