Swimmers pictured in lake at packed Sheffield park despite safety warning

These photos show swimmers splashing around in a packed Sheffield park today, ignoring safety warnings to stay out of the water.
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People of various ages can also be seen taking to the water at Crookes Valley Park using lilos and inflatable boats in the images taken by Emma Wass, who said she had ‘never seen it so busy’.

The lake is a popular spot with open water swimmers, despite signs warning people to stay out of the water.

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Sheffield Council last year explained why swimming there is banned for a number of reasons, including the depth which reaches around 30ft in the centre, the risk of unknown objects below the surface and the quality of the water.

Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)
Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)

“We do not want to give people the false impression that the lake is a safe place to swim,” a council spokesperson said at the time.

“Signage is in place to remind people and our staff do inform users against it, but without a continuous presence on site it is difficult to prevent people entering the water.”

People poured into the park today, Sunday, June 13, to soak up the rays as the temperature reached a balmy 26C.

Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)
Swimmers at Crookes Valley Park (pic: Emma Wass)
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The photos, taken at around 4.30pm, as England fans celebrated the country’s Euro 2020 victory over Croatia, also show rubbish bins overflowing, with beer bottles and cans among the litter stacked beside them.

The banks of the lake can be seen thronged too with sun worshippers making the most of the glorious weather, which is expected to take a turn for the worse, with thunderstorms forecast for the week ahead.