
SCOTTISH WATER IS warning people not to take risks around rivers, reservoirs and lochs this summer.
Children and parents should take particular care during the summer holiday and any spells of warm weather that might be thrown in the direction of Moray.
Revealing that last year a total of 338 people lost their lives to drowning accidents in the UK, a national campaign has been launched on social media (#reservoirsafety) while a video highlighting the importance of staying safe has also been issued (below).
Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s chief operating officer, said: “While everyone should enjoy their school holidays or take pleasure in the country’s beautiful lochs, rivers and reservoirs, it’s absolutely vital that they stay safe at all times.
“Safety is a serious issue as while the water may look harmless there are many hidden dangers.
“We need to ensure children, and parents, are aware of these hazards. We are reminding parents to keep their children safe and asking adults to act responsibly around watercourses.”
Scottish Water is one of 10 partners involved in the Go Safe Scotland online education resource www.gosafescotland.com that has been developed to provide young people in Scotland with a variety of key safety messages, one of which is water safety.
George Cairns, the chair of Go Safe Scotland, said: “We welcome Scottish Water’s initiative to raise awareness of water safety, particularly in the run-up to the summer holiday period.
“The Go Safe Scotland and other websites can be utilised by parents, teachers and indeed children to seek out the appropriate information to how to Go Safe this Summer around water.”