Sandwell has lots of open water including lakes, pools, ponds, canals and rivers, which can be particularly inviting during the summer months, and people are often tempted to swim in them.
Water may feel warm on the surface, but just a few feet below can be icy cold, even in the hot weather and can very quickly cause severe cramp and hypothermia.
Young people can often misjudge their swimming ability - they may view a river or lake as a tempting means of cooling off but fail to appreciate the harmful effects that the cold water can have on their stamina and strength.
Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, said:
“With the recent hot weather and summer coming soon it’s important to let everyone, especially our children and teenagers, know to stay water safe this summer and only swim in purpose-built and supervised swimming pools.
“We have some amazing swimming facilities in Sandwell, including our Olympic grade Sandwell Aquatics Centre, to enjoy and our free swimming offer is open to young people during the school holidays and our older people all year round.”
For more on water safety visit our website.
The council provides free swimming at leisure centres with swimming pools for:
• Sandwell children aged 18 and under during school holidays during designated free swimming sessions
• Sandwell residents aged 60 and over before 1pm every day.
• Sandwell residents who are registered as disabled (for a pass visit your nearest Sandwell leisure centre with a pool).
Click here for more information on free swimming.