Fire chief warns of dangers of swimming in open water after 32-year-old man’s body is found in the river Esk

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Firefighters have warned Britons against trying to cool off in open water after a man died trying to rescue a young girl who got into trouble in a river.

The 32-year-old swam into the river Esk at Longtown, Cumbria, to help the girl after she got into difficulties on Tuesday. She was saved but the man, from Carlisle, disappeared at 4.15pm.

Police divers were joined by the coastguard, mountain rescue teams, fire and ambulance services and an RAF Sea King helicopter in the hunt for the man. His body was later retrieved from the water.

On Thursday, thunderstorms and heavy downpours will herald slightly cooler temperatures, but Cumbria’s chief fire officer, Jim Onions, nonetheless warned the public over the dangers of swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

“Rivers, lakes and reservoirs look peaceful on the surface, but are full of hidden dangers and even strong, experienced swimmers can quickly get into difficulties,” he said.

“If people are going to swim outdoors they need to be extremely cautious and be fully aware of the risks they’re taking. Also the waters are colder than you may think and swimmers often lose the ability to save themselves due to the shock of entering the cold conditions.”

The warning comes after Britain experienced the hottest July day on record on Wednesday. Heathrow was hottest as the mercury clocked 36.7C (98F), making London hotter than Miami, LA and Rome.

Parts of the UK – which was on a Level 3 “heatwave action” health alert – had higher temperatures than Barcelona, Ibiza and Athens.

Forecasters said Thursday would bring some respite, but parts of south-east England could still see temperatures rise to about 26C and the heatwave looks set to continue into the weekend.

Western parts of England and Wales could see heavy showers during the day while hail and lightning struck the north and Scotland overnight.

Moderate levels of air pollution are expected to remain in the southern and eastern areas of England throughout Thursday and Friday before subsiding over the weekend, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Urgent health warnings were issued in response to the heatwave on Wednesday and paramedics dealt with a surge in calls amid fears the hot weather could result in deaths.

The London ambulance service said callouts to people fainting increased by 35% compared with the same day last week, and there was a 28% hike in overall calls.

Extra water points were laid on at Wimbledon, where a ball boy collapsed, as Public Health England warned people to avoid physical exertion and stay hydrated.

MeteoGroup’s Nick Prebble said: “Temperatures will be suppressed today [Thursday], about 10C lower than yesterday with highs of 25C or 26C. It will be noticeably cooler but still warm.

“Friday will likely stay nice and dry across most places and temperatures will be a little warmer, around 27C or 28C, although there will be some unsettled weather on Friday night with more thunderstorms, possibly in the south-west of England.

“Looking into the weekend, it could top 30C again on Saturday in the south-east and London and temperatures will be above average elsewhere, too, going into Sunday.”