New warning after drinkers walk across dangerous Shrewsbury weir
Members of the public were seen walking along the weir in Shrewsbury for the second time in recent days.
A spokesman for West Mercia Search and Rescue said a member of the public sent in photographs of drinkers walking along the weir yesterday.
Andy MacAuley, West Mercia Search and Rescue chairman, said: "Weirs look like water slides and potential great fun, but they pose a number of great risks which most people don't know about.
"Their purpose is to stop the flow of water and keep river levels high, so there's a huge amount of force pushing against them. We often seen debris, trees and rubbish trapped above a weir which can be sharp and trap you.
"The slopes themselves are slippery and are easy to fall over on, but it's the whirlpool at the bottom of the slope which is potentially the most dangerous. If there's depth or force at the bottom of a weir, the water spins over and over on itself and will trap anyone who falls in there. It's not unheard of in higher-flows for people to be trapped for days before they can be recovered.
"And if you do get free of the whirlpool, the highly oxygenated bubbly water below a weir makes it harder to stay afloat than normal, and even good swimmers can struggle."
See also:
Just last week the organisation's ambassador Kirsty Walsh, who is widow to Shane Walsh who died in the River Severn last year, was told of children playing in the weir and threatening to push runners in the water.
Earlier this month, Mrs Walsh was verbally abused by young children when she asked them not to play in the water.
She is now encouraging schools to complete the WMSAR free online river safety course with their pupils.
