Reservoir warning to visitors to Nidderdale

Nidderdale has 11 reservoirs which provide water for the region’s cities and bring in tourists.

But the water company said, although tempting in the hot weather currently being enjoyed by people in the area, there are risks.

Ash Roberts, public safety and safeguarding manager, said: “People entering our reservoirs continues to be a daily occurrence, whether that be those intending to swim or people deciding the water looks inviting.

“As the weather improves, we see more people getting into the water who had never intended to do so when they arrived.

“It is vital people visiting our reservoirs don’t risk their safety by entering the water.

“The water in the reservoirs can cause cold water shock and reservoirs are a part of the clean water network delivering water to homes, which means there is equipment under the water that also poses a risk to people entering it.”

Figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council indicate 50 per cent of the 254 accidental drownings in 2020 involved people who were not intending to enter the water, with 71 per cent of those deaths occurring at inland watercourses, such as reservoirs, rivers and lakes. Almost 80 per cent of the deaths were males.

Anyone at a reservoir who sees someone in difficulty in the water should: phone 999 and ask for the Fire Service then encourage the person to stay calm and to kick their legs gently to float. Don’t enter.