28/05/2025
May was the month with most accidental water related fatalities, with 28 lives tragically lost. Sadly, we know that when air temperatures increase, we often see a rise in accidental drownings – with May 2024 being the warmest on record for the UK, water safety experts are urging the public to “Respect the Water” as the spring weather continues to be warm this year.
With more hot weather promised across the UK in the coming weeks, increasing numbers of people will be spending time on or near the water. The National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is reminding everyone to enjoy the water safely by being aware of the risks, and by knowing how to help themselves and others in an emergency.
Although air temperatures are rising, open water temperatures remain dangerously cold – many inland waters such as lakes and rivers remain below 16°C all year round, which is when water is considered hazardous for cold water shock. Cold water shock is the body’s response to sudden immersion in cold water, leading to an involuntary gasp, rapid breathing and loss of swimming ability. This can result in drowning, especially if the person falls into the water unexpectedly.
Professor Mike Tipton, Chair of the NWSF and leading expert in water safety and cold water shock, said:
“Each one of these fatalities represents a tragedy and the loss of many years of life, all those involved have my deepest condolences. The National Water Safety Forum will continue to work tirelessly to reduce drownings in the UK through data-driven education, interventions, communication and campaigns.
Because it is clear that drowning can occur anywhere and to anyone, I urge the general public to visit the National Water Safety Forum’s Respect the Water website to learn about water safety, and how to prevent themselves and others from drowning. A small amount of time devoted to drowning prevention could save many lives.”
Sadly, 193 people accidentally died in water-related fatalities in 2024. Additionally, there are a further 206 cases where the cause is still unknown, meaning the number of accidental fatalities is likely to increase as additional information becomes available from coroners.
The 2024 Water Incident Database (WAID), which is maintained by the NWSF, shows us that:
- Inland waterways, such as rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs and quarries, continue to be the leading locations for accidental drowning, accounting for 61% of deaths
- Males continue to be over-represented with 84% of accidental fatalities
- Of the 193 confirmed accidental fatalities in the UK in 2024, 28 occurred in May, with 25 in August and 21 in July
- Everyday activities like walking and running accounted for 37% of accidental fatalities, meaning many of those who lost their lives were not intending to enter the water
- Of the 193 accidental fatalities, 136 were in England, 33 in Scotland, 18 in Wales, and 6 in Northern Ireland.
Respect the Water is the NWSF’s public safety campaign that provides simple, life-saving advice to empower people to take responsibility for their safety near water. This includes knowing what to do if you find yourself in trouble in the water, and knowing what to do if you spot someone else in difficulty.
If you find yourself in trouble in the water, float to live:
- Tilt your head back with your ears submerged
- Relax and try to breathe normally
- Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat
- It’s OK if your legs sink, we all float differently
- Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.
If you see someone else in trouble in the water this summer, remember Call, Tell, Throw:
- Call 999 to get help
- Tell the struggling person to float on their back
- Throw them something that floats, such as a life ring, inflatable toy, or bottle.
The NWSF will be promoting the Respect the Water campaign throughout the summer, including a campaign focussed on how to float to coincide with World Drowning Prevention Day on 25th July.
To view and download the WAID 2024 report, visit the NWSF website.
For more information about the Respect the Water campaign visit respectthewater.com
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14/03/2025
The March 2025 issue of the NWSF Newsletter is backed with updates on new reports, upcoming campaigns and exciting projects from our members.
Read the newsletter to find out more about:
- The recently published UK Drowning Prevention Strategy Review
- The results of the WAID Data Enhancement Project
- A new boating skills and safety campaign created by the MCA, RYA and the RNLI
- The return of the NFCC's Be Water Aware campaign
- The results of the Canal & River Trust's insight work on how to reach teenagers with water safety messages
- Swim England's review into the future of coaching
- A review into local authority approaches to water safety by Water Safety Scotland
- New guidance on creating water safety policies from Water Safety Scotland
- Surf Life Saving GB's work with Devon and Cornwall Police to enhance their approach to water safety
- Upcoming events from BISHTA and SPATA aimed at the wet leisure industry
- An update on the NWSF governance review
- Our new Water Safety Partnerships dashboard
- And the NWSF's new LinkedIn page
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10/03/2025
As we approach and plan for the next iteration of the UK Drowning Prevention Strategy (UK DPS), the National Water Safety Forum has been working to review the successes and progress made so far under the current strategy.
The resulting report, the UK DPS Review - A future without drowning, is now available to download from the NWSF website.
It details progress made on individual targets, selected case studies promoting examples of best practice and impact, approaches in the devolved nations, and a review of drowning data against the UK DPS baseline.
Read the UK DPS Review
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18/12/2024
Following the release of the World Health Organization’s landmark Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention on December 13, 2024, the National Water Safety Forum is urging the government to appoint a Minster responsible for drowning prevention, and to nominate a single government department to tackle this lifesaving work.
This report is the first of its kind to comprehensively measure drowning risks and response efforts worldwide. It highlights drowning as a silent epidemic, claiming over 300,000 lives globally in 2021, and almost 600 in the UK in 2022. The NWSF, via it’s Secretariat RoSPA, provided crucial UK data required for inclusion in the report, collating information from representatives across the UK, including devolved governments.
While the UK outperforms global averages, data from the UK’s Water Incident Database (WAID) shows that, despite initial positive progress and ongoing collaboration across relevant agencies, figures for accidental drowning deaths in the UK have remained largely static since 2019, with a slight increase in 2023 likely due to increased participation in water-based activities following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the gravity of the issue, the UK government has yet to formally adopt all critical recommendations from the UN Assembly’s 2021 Resolution. Instead, initiatives remain reliant on voluntary networks like the NWSF, which has acted as a national focal point for this lifesaving work since 2004.
In sharp contrast, devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland have each assigned responsibility for drowning prevention to a named government Minister. In Scotland, there has been a 10 per cent decrease in accidental drowning fatalities from 2019 to 2023, as outlined in the Scotland Drowning Prevention Strategy Six Year Review.
The NWSF is asking the UK government to formally designate responsibility for this vital area of public health to a specific Minster and government department. Whilst the NWSF and the drowning prevention community has done well to keep drowning deaths relatively static, in order to see a real reduction in these preventable and tragic incidents – and to achieve a UK without drowning – both of these interventions are urgently required.
Professor Mike Tipton, NWSF Chair, said:
“Effective drowning prevention can only be achieved by a concerted, co-ordinated and optimised approach between relevant agencies, from science to search, rescue and treatment. The National Water Safety Forum aims to achieve this. The critical work of the NWSF would be greatly assisted by government funding, and ministerial responsibility for this area. This area needs to be prioritised, and needless drowning deaths and injuries prevented.”
The NWSF’s call echoes the recommendations of RoSPA’s recent report, Safer Lives, Stronger Nation, which urges the UK government to adopt a National Accident Prevention Strategy. With accidental deaths up 42 per cent over the last decade, action is overdue. Drowning is a devastating contributor to this crisis, robbing families of loved ones in entirely preventable tragedies.
CEO of RoSPA, Rebecca Hickman, said:
“To RoSPA, the World Health Organisation’s Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention is a groundbreaking call to action, emphasising the urgent need to address drowning as a significant global health challenge. Our organisation is deeply committed to preventing drowning incidents, and this report underscores the importance of the proactive measures we have championed. Our recent Safer Lives, Stronger Nation report highlights key policy data-led recommendations, including strengthening water safety education and implementing a national water safety plan from 2026. By working together and introducing these evidence-based solutions, we can save lives and build safer communities across the UK.”
The Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention was launched globally on December 13, 2024, at 2:30pm CET in Geneva.
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17/12/2024
In the December 2024 issue of the NWSF Newsletter, we shared news about:
Read the National Water Safety Forum December 2024 Newsletter
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