Fresh alert over River Severn deaths in Shrewsbury

Six people have died in the water since 2010 and the number of reports of people in the water peaks during the summer months, according to West Mercia Police.

A new Respect the Water campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the dangers of entering the river and lakes.

Information packs have been delivered to pubs around the town and officers will visit schools and colleges as part of the appeal, which is being run by police, Team Shrewsbury, the RNLI and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

According to the figures, between July 2012 to April 2015 there were 51 water-related incidents involving the River Severn. The peak months for reports were between April and September and they tended to take place on weekends and Mondays.

The highest incident rate age band is 18 to 30 years of age.

According to the RNLI, there are an average of 400 drownings per year in the UK with a further 200 suicides in the waters.

Inspector Ed Hancox of West Mercia Police said: "Unfortunately, over the past few years, Shrewsbury has seen a number of lives lost through drowning in the River Severn.

"Local officers have seen first hand the impact that such tragedies have on friends, families and the local community. Officers are working hard, with partners such as Shropshire Fire & Rescue, RNLI, Shrewsbury Street Pastors and local businesses to spread the message of river safety with the objective of reducing the number of such fatalities in the future." Nicola Davies, community incident reduction manager for the RNLI, said: "Many people heading for a night out may not consider that the messages within this campaign are aimed at them as they don't associate entering the water as part of their night out.

"However, our statistics show that this is unfortunately a regular occurrence and in fact many people, for a number of reasons, end up in the water while on a night out or during their journey home – especially after they have been drinking alcohol.

"We want to warn people that they need to take care while on a night out or during their journey home. I can't stress the importance of keeping a safe distance from the water after a night out drinking alcohol, after your next night out drinking avoid walking home alone along the river banks."

Derek Taylor, from the prevention team of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service operate a Specialist Water Rescue Unit and we work with partners to prevent river deaths."

James Hitchin, chairman of Shrewsbury Pub Watch Partnership, said: "The river is both one of our greatest and most dangerous assets of the bar and restaurant scene in Shrewsbury – however like most enjoyable things we sometimes forget how dangerous they can become without forethought and respect.

"Initiatives such as this are of great importance to pushing our vibrant town forward."