Outdoor swimming

[Barcon]

Yer wouldn't do it now, Barcon. There's more shit in that stretch by Tesco's than the rest of the canal!

We used to go a bit further down, behind Malborough drive and jump off the locks. It was full of old cars, beds and bags of dead kittens. Then there was the factory that made rubber insoles that just pumped scunge into the canal every day.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

We used to go a bit further down, behind Malborough drive and jump off the locks. It was full of old cars, beds and bags of dead kittens. Then there was the factory that made rubber insoles that just pumped scunge into the canal every day.

We lived down on the border between Blackley and Crumpsall where the River Irk flowed through ICI - it had a different colour each day from a dull maroon to a bright royal blue!

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Took my kids years ago up Marple way so must have been the Goyt.
There was one secion where there was a decent height above the river and below was a deep pool and kids were jumping into it. A fun afternoon

 

[Owdman]

We lived down on the border between Blackley and Crumpsall where the River Irk flowed through ICI - it had a different colour each day from a dull maroon to a bright royal blue!

A mate of mine worked as a chemist for the ICI in Blackley, his first job as a 16 year old apprentice was to empty a load of 45 gallon barrels of grunge into the river Irk. That was over 50 years ago and apparently that's how they did things in them days.

 

[Fame Monster]

Have you actually watched any of the United Utilities warnings about swimming in reservoirs? There are numerous deaths each year caused by kids swimming in reservoirs in hot weather. When the body encounters extreme cold suddenly, it can go into shock and cause temporary paralysis. Panic sets in, the person can't move properly and in many cases drowns. This can happen to very strong swimmers. Believe me, it is not mere scare-mongering.

So that's the main danger? People going in the water when it's colder than they think.

Every time I've been in a body of water over here, the temperature's been fine but then again, I only go outdoor swimming in summer.

When I've been to foreign countries, they actually encourage you to go into the water and have mini tourist/holiday industries centred around the lakes/reservoirs. Seems strange that we seem to have such a problem with it over here, maybe we just have a much bigger population of people who will jump in the water irrespective of the temperature.

 

[Fame Monster]

One of my daughter's classmates drowned in a stream where the water was only a few inches deep
Her family thought that stream was perfectly safe

Do you know why?

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I had a client who had a small river (deep
Enough for a swim anyway) flowing through her land in the Lakes. About 80m went through her garden. She went for a swim every morning. Lovely house. Not for me though as I’m a crap swimmer and struggle with 25m in the local pool!

 

[dickie davies]

Do you know why?

The inquest drew the conclusion that she slipped, banged her head and knocked herself out. She was found face down
Really very very sad and she was left unattended for 5-10 minutes

Water really is dangerous

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Our Rivers aren’t the cleanest.

That's due mainly to the EA and anglers who are the eyes and ears of accidental industrial and agricultural spillages or deliberate pollution of UK rivers

 

[Tuearts right boot]

When we lived Spain I and some locals used to swim in the Ebro. A year or so later I found an open sewer pipe from our village slowly trickling raw sewerage in a few hundred yards upstream. No wonder the fish were huge.