Rotherham Council to discuss additional safety measures at Rother Valley Country Park over summer
“Swimming is not permitted”
Rotherham Council is to discuss whether additional safety measures are needed at Rother Valley Country Park over the summer.
It comes after the tragic death of a teenage boy who was reported missing after he entered the water in the park on Bank Holiday Monday but failed to re-emerge.
The boy, who has since been named as Muhammad Secka, is one of more than a dozen people to have died in open water during the recent heatwave.
It has prompted scrutiny of security and safety at locations like Rother Valley, with Rotherham Council stressing they “take those concerns extremely seriously.”
The council, which manages Rother Valley, said it will be discussing whether any further safety measures can be put in place ahead of the summer.
It is urging visitors to avoid the water outside of organised events.
Andrew Bramidge, executive director of regeneration and environment at Rotherham Council, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the young person who tragically lost their life on Monday.
“We understand that incidents like this raise concerns about safety, and we take those concerns extremely seriously.
“Rother Valley Country Park has a range of safety measures in place. We recently increased the number of regular security patrols and staffing for park maintenance. We have staff actively encouraging visitors to stay out of the water, and a boat monitoring authorised water sports activity on the lake to ensure participants are safe. Clear signage is in place to discourage swimming due to the known risks.”
He said there were “additional staff on site” last week to provide support and reassurance to visitors.
Mr Bramidge added: “However, we continually review safety arrangements and we will be speaking with partners and local representatives about whether any further measures can be put in place as we go into the summer months.
“Tragic incidents in open water have sadly been seen in other parts of the country in recent days, highlighting the risks that open water can present, particularly in such hot weather.
“We would again urge everyone visiting Rother Valley and our other country parks: outside of organised events, swimming is not permitted. However tempting it is, please stay out of the water.”