A vicar has called for urgent action to avert a tragedy on a frozen Newcastle lake, after he almost stepped out onto the ice without realising.
Just days after four boys died after falling into icy water in Solihull, major concerns have been aired about a lack of warning signs around the Leazes Park lake. The Rev Mark Edwards MBE came close to walking out onto the city centre lake this week, wrongly believing it to be snow-covered grass, and fears it poses a major threat to children.
He was walking through the park while visiting parishioners at the Royal Victoria Infirmary when he almost mistakenly stepped onto the ice, which was concealed by snow after the heavy fall on Thursday. While he managed to avoid the danger after realising it was in fact frozen water, the vicar is worried that other people might not be so lucky.
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Urban Green Newcastle, the charity which runs the city’s parks, has been urgent to quickly install warning messages around the lake. Mr Edwards, from St Matthew's Church in Dinnington, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "As a governor of my local primary school I often give out health and safety measures to the children and one of them is at this time of year never, never venture onto frozen water.
"I went into my school especially today [Thursday] to reinforce that message in light of the Solihull incident. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those parents and relatives of those children who died having fallen through the ice. I can only imagine the grief they are feeling."
The vicar added: "Let's not wait until there is a similar tragedy. Those warning signs should be in place now, warning not to venture into the water and not to venture onto frozen ice. Frankly I was amazed, in this day and age of being health and safety conscious, that there were no warning signs or any lifebuoys around that man-made pond. It's quite a large expanse of water, too, with an island in the middle.
"The safety aspect is not just for children, but for anyone. I nearly stepped onto the frozen water myself believing it to be snow-covered grass."
Urban Green said it had been raising awareness of the dangers of walking or playing on frozen water since the devastating Solihull incident and would launch a water safety review of its parks next year. A spokesperson for the charitable trust added: "Information and guidance has been shared across Urban Green Newcastle’s website and social media platforms, and we continue to amplify the warnings and guidance from the emergency services, including Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.
"We are doing a review of water safety across all of Newcastle’s parks early next year with advice from the Royal Life Saving Society UK. Bodies of water in many of the city’s parks cover large areas, and there are numerous entry points into the parks and to the water’s edge.
"We’re urging anyone that sees people on frozen lakes, ponds, or other bodies of water in Newcastle’s parks to call 999 immediately. During the winter, we will continue to raise awareness of this important issue through our communication platforms and in the local media. We will also continue to support the emergency services with their work in the wider community."
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