THE rising number of swimmers in a potentially lethal stretch of river where children and dogs have died has prompted a warning from a councillor.

Aberaeron county councillor Elizabeth Evans (Liberal Democrat) took to social media after seeing children bathing in the Aeron River near a dangerous whirlpool-like weir – or ‘drowning machine’ as she called it.

Cllr Evans says she has to remind parents every year not to allow children to swim in the river, after drownings in the 1950s and 1970s and more recent dog deaths.

The weir in question is just down from Lovers’ Bridge, and Cllr Evans says she has demanded Ceredigion County Council erects warning signs at this location in the past but has faced resistance. Residents were extremely critical of the council on social media for not acting.

She said: “This isn’t meant to scare you, but also, it is. Please, please, please warn your children, whatever their age, not to go into the river in Aberaeron.

“There are kids now going into the river by the top pool near Lovers’ Bridge on a regular basis.

“There is a low-head dam here with a current so strong they will not get out even with a life belt, if they’re lucky.

“The dangers of a low-head dam are notorious worldwide but only if you know it’s there. They are called ‘drowning machines’ for a reason.

“That’s the reason we have life belts along the river. It is so, so dangerous. Please warn your children.

“I will also notify both school head teachers to get a message out in assembly.”

She said she’d seen photos of primary-school-age children in the river over recent weeks.

She said if it wasn’t for a policeman who pulled a child out, then there would have been another tragedy more recently.

Low-head dams are usually in rivers with an industrial past, she said, and Aberaeron had a woollen mill and other industries near that stretch.

She said she will be contacting the county council once more, so they put up adequate signage to warn about the dangers.

A 15-year-old boy is said to have died in the river in 1951, as residents recalled on social media.

An ex-Aberaeron resident of four years who fell into the weir in 2018 told the Cambrian News: “Best to stay away, absolutely.

“I found out myself after jumping in to save my dog. But if you do ever find yourself in the horrible situation of being in a river under a weir, I have since read that one of the best things to do is to wrap up into a ball and sink to the bottom.

“At the bottom there is a stream of water that goes out further from the weir and you will then be able to pop up downstream.

“Either that or if you are a strong enough swimmer swim sideways (I was unable to do so).”

A county council spokesperson said: “We review any concerns raised in relation to safety around any land or property that the council owns or manages, and where actions are identified to improve safety, then they will be considered.”