At least six people have died struggling in open water since a record-breaking heatwave started over the May bank holiday weekend. The deaths, three of which happened on a single day, occurred across South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire.
Victims Include Teenagers and a Man in His 60s
Declan Sawyer, 15, died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln, on Sunday. His father described him as a 'funny and outgoing young man who loved his fishing and his football'. Reco Puttock, 13, died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday. Lightcliffe Academy, in Halifax, said Puttock was 'a popular and much-loved student'.
The body of a teenage girl was also recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire. A man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest while entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members struggling in the waters. The body of a fourth teen was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, yesterday morning. That evening, a body had been recovered from the River Ribble after a boy, 12, got into difficulty while swimming with friends at Ribchester.
Irish police said that Abbie Carmody-Pepper, 15, died in the sea at Burrow Beach, a popular swimming spot near Howth, on Sunday. She was swimming with friends at the time, according to a GoFundMe raising money for her funeral.
RNLI Issues Warning Over Swimming in Open Water
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) says that, as hot as it is, open water bodies still remain cold. So, when people take a dip in a lake or the sea, this can induce 'cold water shock' as the body struggles to make sense of the temperature change. Cold water shock can trigger hyperventilation, a rapid increase in heart rate and a spike in blood pressure.
The RNLI said: 'While the air temperature is warm, the seas are still cold and cold water shock remains a very real risk. With many school children enjoying half term, the lifesaving charity is urging everyone to stay safe.'
Record-Breaking Heatwave
Despite it still being spring, large parts of the UK and Ireland were hit with their first heatwave of the year. The heat had been building for days but the temperature swelled to 30.5°C in southeast England on Saturday. Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for England, with Kew Gardens, west London, reaching a scorching 35.1°C. The Met Office described the heat as 'unprecedented for the time of year,' stressing that records are typically broken by only fractions of a degree. The last record was 32.8°C, which was set in 1944. Ireland's May records were also shattered when the mercury shot up to 30.5°C, according to the country's weather service, Met Éireann.
While temperatures are, for the most part, cooling nationwide, multiple amber and yellow heat health warnings remain in place today. Amber alerts – the second-highest warning level in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) three-tier system – are active in: London, East of England, South East, South West, East Midlands, and West Midlands. Yellow warnings cover the rest of England. These warnings, while not as severe, still warn that the heat poses a risk to vulnerable, older people.
Meteorologist Warns of More Frequent Heatwaves
Jim NR Dale, a meteorologist with the British Weather Services, previously told Metro that heatwaves will become more frequent and severe in the UK. He attributed that to a rise in global temperatures, driven mainly by the burning of coal, oil and gas. 'The cold is on its way out and has been for 20 years… 30°C temps used to be an occasional visitor, sometimes not happening at all, even in summer,' he added. 'Now it's a regular event and above 40°C is expected to become an occasional event from now on.'
