Prime Minister backs water safety campaign as nation braces for heatwave
“I just feel so profoundly for the family and friends of those who lost their lives”
The Prime Minister has thrown his weight behind a campaign to improve water safety as the country braces for yet another heatwave.
This year alone, 19 people have died in water-related deaths, with two teenagers from South Yorkshire drowning within the space of one week.
Inquests into the tragic deaths of Muhammad Secka - whose body was recovered from Rother Valley on May 25 - and Mackenzie Swift, who went missing in the River Don, near Mexborough, on May 30.
In response to these growing numbers, The Mirror has teamed up with Simon Hacock - whose 16-year-old son Sam drowned in Ulley Reservoir in 2021 - to launch the ‘Save Lives for Sam’ campaign, lobbying for a nationwide public safety campaign and the introduction of new laws requiring the installation of water rescue equipment at high-risk areas.
And now, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken with Mirror reporters at the G7 summit to say he feels “profoundly” for those who lost their lives.
“Look, let me firstly back your campaign,” The Mirror reports.
“I think just seeing and hearing of those fatalities during the heatwave, the hot weather, was really deeply concerning, and as a dad with two kids, particularly when it involves children or young people, it's really hard I think for all of us to see.
“I just feel so profoundly for the family and friends of those who lost their lives, really feel it's hard to imagine what it must be like to lose a child in that way, and there were quite a number of them as well. I was quite struck by that.”
Temperatures are set to rise to 25 degrees this weekend, sparking further concerns about dangerous open water swimming.
In May, as water safety concerns were brought to the forefront following Muhammad Secka’s death, The Star spoke to Simon Haycock about his concerns.
At the time, he said: “There’s always more that can be done, and I’m pushing them to make changes.
“Rother Valley’s been a worry of mine for a while, just the sheer amount of people who come and visit it.
“I’ve already put in place and made meetings to try and combat it, but ultimately I’m just a parent from a small organisation and it’s getting the right people behind us to back what we’re trying to do and getting the right people to make the choices.
“Ultimately, sadly, a lot of these things come down to money and funding for staff and things like that.
“But at some point we’ve got to look at what the safety aspects are and risk assessments.”