WARWICKSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service is joining with fire and rescue services across the UK in supporting the Chief Fire Officers' Association's Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week.

This year’s campaign between April 25 and May 1 will be focussing on raising awareness of the everyday dangers of being near water, after it was found that 44% of people who drowned in 2014 had no intention of entering the water.

CFOA's Water safety Lead, Dawn Whittaker, said "Most people would be shocked to hear that those people drowning just happen to be near water such as runners, walkers and anglers. Often these people are unaware of the risks and are totally unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water. By highlighting this issue we are hoping to reduce the number of these needless deaths that happen in and around open water."

Moreno Francioso community fire prevention and arson manager said: “Although incidents involving open water are very low in Warwickshire, there are still occasions where people have got into trouble unintentionally when out walking their dog, driving through flood water or on a boat or canoe.

“As part of Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week, we are asking people to think twice before they get into deep water and not only put their lives at risk, but also the lives of the firefighters or passers-by, who go into the waters to try and rescue them.”

During the week we will be giving advice to people on what they should look out for and how to change their behaviour to minimise their risk of becoming a statistic.