Ice safety

With the sub-zero temperatures, more and more UK waterways and lakes are frozen over, but ice can be deadly, in more ways than one.

Over the last decade, 20 people have drowned after falling through ice on frozen lakes or waterways, and many others have been rescued and resuscitated. Because of their inquisitive nature, children are especially at risk.

There is no way of telling how thick the ice is, so the advice is to simply stay off it. It can crack at any time, and if it does, the risks are compounded by the temperature of the water underneath. Even strong swimmers are unlikely to survive for long in the freezing water.

Several people have died trying to rescue a pet dog which has fallen through the ice. Sadly the outcome of many of these cases was better for the dogs, which managed to scramble out of the water to safety. If older children are walking dogs unsupervised, the advice is to keep them on the lead and never throw a stick or ball out onto the ice.