THE dangers of swimming and playing in old quarries and reservoirs have been highlighted.

Elizabeth Clements, a representative of Welsh quarry operators, have warned people from cooling off in unsupervised open water.

Tragically, there are circa 400 accidental drownings across the UK each year in open water such as reservoirs, quarry lakes, rivers, canals and tidal waters - many of which can be found right across Dwyfor and Meirionnydd.

All too often, these tragedies occur when people are enjoying a leisure activity or are engaged in what they perceive as harmless fun.

Ms Clements said: “Man-made water bodies like quarry lakes and reservoirs can be extremely deep, have sudden changes in water depth, be difficult to exit and conceal a range of hazards such as pumps, entangling weeds, rocks and old machinery.

“The water can also be extremely cold even on a hot summer’s day.

“At 15 degrees centigrade and below, the body can experience Cold Water Shock when immersed in water, this results in a sudden, involuntary inhalation of water into the lungs which can be deadly. The cold water can also cause even strong swimmers to tire quickly, become breathless and potentially disorientated.

“We do not want to discourage members of the public from enjoying the water but would like people to be aware of the risks and choose to swim in areas that are safe.”