A review the water safety ratings has revealed hidden dangers in Salford Quays, after six fatalities and 52 serious incidents between 2017 and 2022.
Including in July of 2022 when a 16 year old boy died after encountering difficulty while swimming with his friends near the watersports centre.
Kalen Waugh’s untimely death lead to a plea from Salford City council warning youngsters of the danger of cold water shock even on a seemingly hot day.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) ratings scores areas of water between 0-100 in different bands of danger.
Two areas, St Louis Basin and St Francis Basin, were rated as presenting an ‘increased risk’, attracting scores of 55/100.
Ratings for the Quays were split into 15 segments for different areas along the water, with a ‘very low level’ rating between 0-30, ranging to 81-100 to denote a very high risk level.
Alongside the danger ratings RoSPA also identified the biggest risks at play for those choosing to swim in the Quays, with cold water shock being the biggest.
Water temperature in the Quays sits below 15 degrees Celsius for most of the year, with the coldest period between October and April when the outdoor temperature plummets.
Water depth and visibility were also highlighted as big risks when swimming with parts of the bottom of Chandlers Canal being visible in daylight.
Despite this, many people are still tempted by a dip in the Quays when the sun gets out and the temperatures rise.
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