Two ‘utterly reckless’ men were filmed after appearing to take a late-night swim in freezing waters in Greater Manchester.
With temperatures plummeting in recent days, most of us have opted to wrap up warm and stay indoors to keep out the chill, but footage shot by a member of the public appears to show the two men in swimming trunks, towelling off taking a dip into the icy waters - check it out:
The footage was shot at Salford Quays, Greater Manchester at around 7pm on Sunday 11 December when temperatures were as low as -5C. It shows the pair appearing to dry themselves off on a pontoon close to the Water Sports Centre.
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They have been condemned by a local councillor who said that the pair are ‘lucky to be alive’.
Councillor Barbara Bentham, lead member for environment and community safety, said: "If these two young men are experienced cold water swimmers then going into the Quays in the dark by themselves on a freezing December night is utterly reckless.
"If they are not trained to swim in cold water then they are lucky to be alive."
She added: "We’re constantly warning people of the dangers of cold-water shock and reminding them that open water is cold even on the hottest days of the year.
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"I cannot begin to imagine how cold the water must have been last night and I hope this was just a one-off moment of madness.
"Cold water shock can affect even the strongest swimmers which is why people should only ever swim in the Quays as part of an organised and supervised session for their safety.
"Given the current freezing conditions people should take even more care near any open water."
Salford City Council says it has stepped up CCTV camera ‘patrols’ covering the Quays area and will report any dangerous activity picked up to the police.
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The video was filmed on the same day three young boys died after they fell into an icy lake in the West Midlands.
Confirming the tragic news yesterday (Monday 12 December) a spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon.
"The boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, were rushed to hospital after being pulled from the water.
"Sadly, they could not be revived and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this deeply devastating time. We’ll have specialist officers offering them as much support as we can."
Claire Reid