Water Safety
Know The Risks
Reservoirs, rivers & lochs might appear very inviting but there are many hidden dangers that can't be seen, and the consequences can be fatal.In 2020, 254 people lost their lives to unintentional drowning in the UK. That’s 254 people who didn’t make it back home to their families – 39 of them were in Scotland. *
*Source: National Water Safety Forum
One Last Breath video
Watch this film from Welsh Water which captures the dangers of swimming in a reservoir and shows the devastating consequences if those dangers are ignored.
Watch the video hereHidden dangers
The water might seem to be very calm but looks can be deceiving and there are many dangers:- Reservoirs are deep and the water just below the surface is icy cold, even in summer. Cold water can send your body into shock in seconds.
- Reservoirs have strong water currents, which combined with the deep cold water can challenge even the strongest of swimmers.
- There could be hidden underwater obstacles – such as pipework or stone and concrete structures. If you dive in, you don’t know what you might hit.
- Steep, slippery banks can make it tricky to get back out of the water.
- You won’t find lifesaving equipment at reservoirs, so relying on someone else to save you could put their life in danger too.
- If you do get into trouble, mobile reception is patchy to often non-existent at many remote reservoir locations. So calling for help isn’t quick or easy.
- Some reservoirs have air curtains – millions of bubbles aerating the water to disperse potential impurities like algae. But these bubbles create negative buoyancy, so if you swam into this area, you would struggle to stay afloat. That goes for boats too.
Useful Resources
There’s lots of great information about water safety from our partner agencies. Take a look:
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Royal Life Saving Society Scotland
Contact
If you have any comments or concerns about our reservoirs, please contact our Customer Helpline on 0800 0778 778.
