Charity warns closure of swimming pools due to energy costs will lead to more children drowning
Katy Morton
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK is warning of an increase in children drowning if swimming pools are forced to close down due to soaring energy costs.
Public leisure operators believe that without financial support to mitigate against the increases in energy costs over the coming months, hundreds, potentially thousands of leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools could be lost.
The RLSS UK says it is ‘unthinkable that pool closures will mean more children potentially losing out on the life skill of learning to swim and how to enjoy water safely – simply because they do not have a pool to learn and swim in.’
The charity said, ‘In 2010, swimming pools were closed due to Covid-19, and people flocked to beaches, rivers, lakes and other waters to have fun. Many children hadn’t had swimming lessons for some time and had missed out on their regular visits to the pool with friends or family. This resulted in a drop in water confidence and swimming ability and has unfortunately ultimately resulted in a year-on-year increase in UK accidental drownings through 2020 and 2021.
‘We know swimming pools are one of the safest places to enjoy water. Many pools have lifeguards and staff trained to educate users to enjoy the facilities in a safe and fun manner. Swimming pools are such an important part of a community.’
According to RLSS, another challenge is a national shortage of lifeguards.
The charity's warning comes ahead of Drowning Prevention Week on 18-25 June, which aims to help everybody across the UK and Ireland enjoy water safely, and promote the charity’s free educational resources for use in nurseries and schools.
