Reuben’s pals talk of danger of swimming in reservoirs

FRIENDS of a “fit and strong” 15-year-old who drowned after going swimming in a reservoir have recalled their desperate attempts to save his life.

Reuben Morgan, a pupil at Cyfartha High School, had been camping at Pontsticill Reservoir near Merthyr Tydfil in 2006 when he and a group of friends decided to go for a dip in the hot weather. But he got caught in a current and the freezing temperatures ended up killing the teenager.

Now, 11 years on, in a powerful video released by Welsh Water highlighting the dangers of hidden currents, his friends Lauren Mitchell, Kyle Thomas and Matthew Scofield – who were with him on the day he died – have shared their memories of the awful accident.

Lauren said: “We were all up the reservoir swimming – I’d say there was about 15 or 16 of us – we were just messing around. We were trying to swim from one point to the other.”

Matthew said: “There were five of us in the water but I chose not to swim across cause I would carry the boys’ stuff. I didn’t feel like I could swim across.

“Kyle and Reuben were having trouble swimming. What I could see was Reuben struggling.

“I knew I couldn’t reach him where he was so I ran around the other side. As I got to the other side, Reuben wasn’t there.”

Kyle said: “To be honest with you, at the time it didn’t look like it was a very far distance but obviously it was too far, very hard, very cold. It was a lovely day. It seemed like a good idea. We tried our best to help him. We couldn’t get nowhere near him. He was kicking. He was trying to grab hold of me. He was like: ‘I can’t, I can’t, I can’t go no more.’

“Obviously we were really tired ourselves, really cold. I didn’t realise how serious it was until he stopped and obviously he was disappearing.”

Matthew said: “It sunk in when I saw Reuben’s mother and father.

“We just made sure we were there for each other after that and realised life can be snatched away from you.”

Kyle said he didn’t realise the dangers of swimming in reservoirs until it was too late. He said: “We weren’t aware of the dangers, by doing this it will make people aware of the dangers.

“If this could stop anybody swimming in reservoirs and stop families going through what Reuben’s family and friends have been through and somebody losing a life.”

Every year, large numbers of people – mainly young men aged between 17 and 35 – try to swim in reservoirs across Wales.

Last summer alone, there were 109 incidents where people tried to enter the water. And in 2013, two people died when swimming at reservoirs in the Brecon Beacons across the same weekend during a heatwave.

Lauren said: “You are so young and naïve and always think, ‘It won’t be me. My mother is trying to spoil my fun. Welsh Water is trying to spoil our fun.’

“There’s nothing fun about the consequences of swimming in a reservoir.”

Welsh Water’s chief operating officer, Peter Perry, said: “Our reservoirs are great places to enjoy organised activities but all too often people are tempted to risk taking a swim which can lead to tragic consequences.”