The recent cold weather has seen the London Firefighters called out to rescue 11 people who have fallen into icy ponds and lakes.
The Fire Brigade are warning Londoners not to walk or play on frozen ponds or lakes and are advising that children and pets are closely supervised at all times and not allowed to venture onto any ice covered body of water.
The Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Operational and Emergency Planning, Andy Barrett says; “A number of rescues have involved recovering people who have fallen through ice. We also see people attempting to rescue pets that have become stranded or trapped, and then they also need to be rescued by the Brigade. It’s not possible for people to gauge the thickness and to determine the weight that an ice covered surface will support so it’s not safe to step onto the ice, particularly if the temperature is rising slightly.”
