Water safety appeal after fatal incidents
TALKS are to take place over carrying out a water safety review following deaths involving open water during the July heatwave including a 16-year-old from Runcorn.
Following the death of Stevie McClair who went missing at the River Weaver in Frodsham on Monday, July 19, and whose body was found the following day, In Your Area approached Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) to find out whether it would explore the issue.
The teenager’s death – reported by police to have been a “tragic accident” – was sadly among numerous tragedies involving open water over the space of a few days on and around the July-17-18 weekend, with 14 fatal incidents reported around England by the Daily Mirror.
Such has been the extent of the death toll, that within hours of CWAC issuing its response, the area was hit by another tragic incident, when 16-year-old promising boxer Frank Varey died at the River Dee in Chester on July 22.
In neighbouring Halton, a review of the borough’s open water involving compiling a directory of the borough’s 78 open bodies of water was launched two years ago following the tragic death in Widnes of 14-year-old Teya Davies in 2018, which also inspired the Teya’s Legacy campaign for improved water safety and drowning awareness.
CWAC now looks set to launch its own review alongside other agencies and organisations including the fire service.
In a statement issued on the morning of July 22 following the death of Stevie McClair, Cllr Robert Cernik (CWAC children and families) said: “Cheshire West and Chester Council and its partners are deeply saddened that a young person has lost their life in such a terrible accident.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the parents and family.
“The council and other agencies such as Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Canal and River Trust share messages about the dangers of open water.
“Following this accident, the council is joining with colleagues in Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire police to provide additional youth work in areas close to open water in Ellesmere Port, Chester, Northwich and Winsford.
“The council will be discussing the opportunity for a joint review about open water safety with partners.
“We would urge everyone, particularly children and young people that swimming in rivers, canals, ponds, quarries and lakes can be extremely dangerous.”
Stevie’s Facebook profile said he grew up in Glasgow and moved to Runcorn in March last year.
His death prompted an outpouring of sorrow and tributes on social media from residents shocked and left “heartbroken” by the tragedy, which happened as many young people would have been looking forward to the start of the summer holidays.
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has urged people to avoid open water.
In response to Stevie’s death, and issued hours before police revealed a search was under way for Frank Varey, a CRT spokesperson said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy and our thoughts are with the boy’s family and friends.
“We’ve seen an increase in people taking risks swimming and jumping in our canals and rivers across the country during this heatwave.
“The cold water can bring on cold water shock and you can’t tell what is below the surface. The trust is urging people to enjoy visiting but to stay out of the water.”
CWAC has issued general water safety advice: Canals and rivers are lovely places to visit and it may seem tempting to cool down, but don’t get in the water – as there are risks hidden below the surface of the water.
These include difficulty in telling the depth of water, reeds that can tangle around legs and make it hard to swim or tread water, unseen obstructions, and cold water shock.
Anyone who finds themselves in difficulty should float on their back to catch their breath.
Always call 999 and ask for the coastguard if near the coast and fire service if inland if someone is spotted in difficulty in the water.
● Grassfire on the M56
TRAFFIC was affected after a number of grassfires sent smoke billowing across the M56 near Ellesmere Port.
The fires were on an eastbound section of the busy motorway between junctions 14 and 15.
Lauren Wickham, from Runcorn, managed to record footage of the fires on her mobile earlier on Sunday.
Lauren, who was a passenger in her partner’s car, said the scenes were “scary”.
She said: “I think there were three fires in total. I managed to record some scenes on my phone at around 2.15pm today. We were on our way home after a trip to Wirral.
“It really was quite scary in parts, with real flames and heavy smoke. Most drivers moved into the middle lane due to the smoke and flames.
“There also firefighters working on the hard shoulder.
“I have not seen anything as bad before. I would like to know what the cause was. Not sure if it was a cigarette or just from the heat. “
Lauren added she got home safely.