Moorlands residents are being warned of the dangers of cooling off in open water – as temperature are set to rise this weekend.
Temperatures are due to hit 28 degrees in some areas on Saturday, and a yellow alert for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office.
People are also being reminded of the dangers of cooling off in unsupervised open water. No matter how warm the day, large bodies of water stay very cold, with temperatures around 2C. This can cause cold water shock, which can lead to a sudden loss of consciousness.
Added to this, the recent dry conditions mean areas of grassland, such as The Roaches, are vulnerable to fire. Visitors to these areas are being asked not to use barbeques or open flames to reduce the fire risk.
Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Communities Victoria Wilson said: “We’re finally seeing some sunny and warm conditions which is fantastic, but whenever the temperature rises, the temptation to cool off in open water is always present. We want to remind people of the dangers of doing this—you can cool yourself down in other ways that won’t risk your life.
“Also, the lack of rain we have experienced for a few weeks now mean our country parks and grassland are vulnerable to these dry, warm conditions. Grass fires can spread quickly and are incredibly destructive, so we’re asking people to refrain from using barbeques and other naked flames to minimise the risk of wildfires occurring.”
More warm weather advice can be found at the Met Office website.
