RIVER safety training will be on offer in Ludlow this summer.

Ludlow Town Council is working in conjunction with Shropshire Fire and Rescue and RNLI to offer river safety training.

This free training session will be available to residents in and around Ludlow to provide them with the tools and knowledge of river safety.

The safety course will take around two hours and includes practical and theoretical elements.

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James Sutherland, prevention officer for road and water safety with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Nationally, around half of people who drown had no intention of being in water – they may have been walking, running, near the water and fallen in or jumped in the water after their dog.

“Last year, in partnership with Ludlow Town Council, two throwline boards were installed in key areas in Ludlow, one at the Linney and one at Dinham Millennium Green. To support these installations, we have arranged a training session for the public on July 6 that will enable them to not only provide the initial assistance to anyone that gets in difficulty in the water but also give them the information they need to give water safety advice prior to anyone even getting into the water.

“The boards have key life-saving advice on them as well as accurate location details in the event that the emergency services need to be contacted. Each board is bespoke to its location and has a unique code so that emergency services can identify where the incident is as quickly as possible.

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“On these boards there is a ‘locked’ box, which is accessed by a code given to the caller by our fire control room operators, which contains a throw line that gives people a means of assisting someone in trouble without risking entering the water themselves.

“We’ve welcomed this opportunity to work in partnership with Ludlow Town Council and the RNLI to help make Shropshire safer and prevent further tragedies in the water.”

The event will take place on July 6 at 1 pm. To book your place on the training course, please email deputy town clerk Kate Adams at kate.adams@ludlow.gov.uk.