Water safety and prevention of drowning

The National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) (a network of organisations working in water safety) reports that drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death and that while some individuals survive drowning events “many are left with severe, life-changing injuries”.

The NWSF’s UK Drowning Prevention Strategy, 2016-2026 aimed to “reduce accidental drowning fatalities in the UK by 50 per cent by 2026, and reduce risk amongst the highest risk populations, groups and communities”. A review in 2024/25 concluded that whilst there had been progress since the introduction of the strategy, there were still work to do. All four UK nations are currently developing new drowning prevention strategies.

The Royal Life Saving Society’s (RLSS) Drowning Prevention week is taking place between 13–20 June 2026. It is an annual campaign that aims to “educate children and young adults in water safety and lifesaving skills”. The RLSS has developed a water safety code to provide simple and easy to remember information for all on what to do in an emergency in or around water.

There will be a Westminster Hall debate on water safety on 9 June, led by Darren Paffey MP.

Water incident database

The National Water Safety Forum (NSWF) maintain a Water Incident Database (WAID) which brings together data from across the UK on accidental deaths by drowning.

The latest WAID data annual report showed that there were 202 accidental water-related deaths in 2025. The majority of these deaths (57%) occurred at inland locations like rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Inland locations have accounted for over half of accidental drownings in the UK since 2019.

The 2025 data showed that the highest number of accidental water-related deaths occurred in August (31 deaths), followed by June and July (each accounting for 27 deaths). Periods of hot weather tend to correlate with higher numbers of accidental drownings, as more people visit water spots to enjoy recreational activities or to cool off.

Responsibility for water safety and local waters

A December 2025 Lords parliamentary question response noted that several government departments have responsibility related to water safety, and highlights the role of other organisations in this area:

Responsibilities for water safety sit with various Government departments, agencies, local authorities, and other public bodies. These include regular safety messaging and guidance to ensure people have the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe, as well as provision of safety/lifesaving equipment at water bodies. Water sports national governing bodies are responsible for providing advice and guidance for how to participate in their sports safely. Inland waterway navigation authorities conduct risk assessments to inform the provision of appropriate lifesaving equipment on their networks. In conjunction with other services, HM Coastguard provides safety advice and guidance about the coastal environment.

The National Water Safety Forum brings together a wide range of national groups, including some 80 local authorities, to create a ‘one-stop shop’ for the prevention of drowning and water safety harm in the UK. The Forum launched the UK Drowning Prevention Strategy 2016-2026(opens in a new tab) (copy attached), which aims to reduce the number of accidental drownings in the UK by 50% by 2026. The Local Government Association has developed a water safety toolkit(opens in a new tab) (copy attached) for local authorities for use inland and on the coast.

The NWSF notes that “the responsibility for managing water risks at a local level or given site is often dispersed among a number of organisations” (PDF).

In response to a 2022 e-petition on throwline stations (a rescue device that a member of the public can use to pull someone to safety from the water if they get into difficulties) around open bodies of water, the government said the “risks posed by open bodies of water should be assessed and acted on by the responsible landowner”. It said this may be:

• local authorities for a minority of bodies of water, including some beaches
• major water companies for most reservoirs
• the Environment Agency for rivers
• the Canal and Rivers Trust for the canal network

The government also highlighted that both employers and those who are self-employed, who work close to water, are required under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to take steps to prevent employees and other people from coming to harm due to their work activities. It said that the “methods of achieving this are not set down in law and may differ depending on the particular characteristics of the site and the circumstances”. It also noted that not all bodies of open water are associated with ongoing work and, as such, would not fall under the remit of the 1974 act.

Water safety advice from national governing bodies

National governing bodies generally emphasise the importance of preparation, awareness, and appropriate equipment for personal safety on or near water:

• Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, highlights the importance of recognising hazards such as depth, currents, and cold water, and learning survival techniques such as floating and safe self‑rescue. Through programmes like Swim Safe, it promotes early education so that individuals can identify risks, make safe decisions, and respond effectively if they get into difficulty.
• The Royal Yachting Association, the national governing body for dinghy, motor and sail cruising, emphasises preparation, seamanship, and risk management for those operating on the water. Its guidance highlights the importance of planning – checking weather, tides and passage routes – alongside maintaining vessels and ensuring crews are briefed and trained.
• Paddle UK, thenational governing body in the United Kingdom for canoeing, kayaking and other paddle sports, has published guidance for paddlers (PDF). It emphasises personal responsibility and situational awareness, encouraging paddlers to check weather and water conditions, know their limits, and avoid hazards such as offshore winds.

Swimming and water safety on the school curriculum in England

The national curriculum in England requires that, as part of PE:

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2.

In particular, pupils should be taught to:

• swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
• use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke]
• perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

The national curriculum is compulsory in local authority schools. Academies and free schools do not currently have to teach the national curriculum, although in practice many do. They are, however, required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum. Section 54 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 requires academies to follow the national curriculum, although those measures are not yet in force.

Changes to the statutory Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance, effective from 1 September 2026, include water safety, including the water safety code, for teaching at both primary and secondary level.

The Department for Education provides funding for Inclusion 2028, a programme led by the Youth Support Trust to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in physical education, including with swimming.

Swim England has some information on the national curriculum that includes resources for schools.

Water quality in bathing areas

Designated bathing waters in England are tested regularly for water quality, but other bodies of water are not.

Designated bathing waters

Bathing waters are designated areas of coastal or inland water in England that meet specified criteria (such as the number of daily users access to facilities like toilets) as set out by the government. A list of designated bathing waters is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bathing waters are monitored and protected from sources of pollution known to be a risk to swimmers’ health. Under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, the Environment Agency (EA) monitor all designated bathing waters in England throughout the bathing season (15 May to 30 September). The average condition for a bathing area is calculated from readings taken over the last four bathing seasons.

The EA takes weekly samples of water at most sites, then tests them in a laboratory to determine the level of bacteria in the water (including tests for faecal indicator organisms: Escherichia coli and Intestinal Entercocci). The EA’s Swimfo tool allows swimmers to check the quality of bathing water in England.

Other bodies of water

Beyond designated bathing waters, there is no requirement to monitor the quality of rivers and the sea. The government notes that rivers and other open water locations that are not designated as bathing waters are managed “for the purpose of protecting fish and wildlife, not people, so health risks from using these locations may be higher than at designated bathing waters”. These sites may contain pollution from diffuse sources, including farming, sewage and industry.

However, there are broad outcomes set out in the Environment Act 2021 and the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 for the EA to protect and manage watercourses in England, and to improve water quality. Additionally, wider regulations apply to potential sources of pollution:

• the ‘Farming Rules for Water’ in the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018 set out regulations that apply to farmers and land managers to prevent agricultural pollution, for example from manure and fertilisers, from entering freshwater, rivers and the sea
• environmental permits under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 set controls on emissions and discharges to water, and include conditions that permit holders, such as water companies, must comply with
• the water regulator Ofwat, sets controls through its price review process to incentivise water companies to reduce storm overflows and sewage pollution

Further reading

• An interactive report of the WAID data, including local authority estimates is available online: WAID: water-related fatality data from 2019 to 2025
• Health and Safety Executive, Prevention of drowning
• Review of the legal responsibility for beach safety, January 2019, for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• National Water Safety Forum, A future without drowning: The UK Drowning Prevention Strategy, 2016-2026, published 2015
• World Health Organization (WHO),Global Report on Drowning: Preventing a leading killer, November 2014
• RoSPA, Water safety and drowning,
• RoSPA, Managing safety at inland waters, January 2019
• Canal & River Trust, Safety on our waterways, October 2021
• Local Government Association, Water safety toolkit, 2020
• Commons Library research briefing, CDP 54, Debate on bathing water regulations (3 March 2025)
• Defra, Bathing waters: list of designated waters in England, updated 14 May 2026