Swim warning after new tragedy

Police have made a fresh warning about the dangers of cooling off in open water after three people died and two children were taken to hospital after being pulled from a river.

The accidents are the latest in a spate of incidents across the country that have taken several lives.

The body of the man, aged in his 20s, was pulled from Thirlmere Reservoir in Keswick, Cumbria, on Wednesday afternoon.

A woman was rescued by emergency services at the scene after they were called at around 3pm, Cumbria Police said.

It came a day after Tonibeth Purvis, 15, and Chloe Fowler, 14, died in the River Wear at Washington, Tyne and Wear.

A brother and sister aged 11 and six are in a stable condition in hospital after being rescued from the River Arrow in Redditch, Worcestershire, at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Police said they had been swimming when they got into difficulty, with their cries for help heard by a passing couple who dived in after them.

With the help of a man on the opposite bank they managed to pull them out of the water suffering from hypothermia and the effects of ingesting river water.

Detective Inspector Vikki Reay, of West Mercia Police, said: "Were it not for the actions of these people who were nearby we could be looking at a double tragedy - these children had a very lucky escape.

"This illustrates all too plainly the dangers of swimming in or playing near open water and such an incident right at the start of the school summer holidays also serves as a warning to parents to be aware of where their children are and what they are doing."