CHILDREN in Bicester have been warned they are putting their lives at risk by walking over icy water – soon after four young boys pulled from a frozen lake in Solihull died.
Three children – aged eight, 10 and 11 – were pronounced dead after emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park, near Birmingham, on Sunday. The death of another, a boy of six, was announced by police yesterday evening.
Members of the public and police officers initially waded into the freezing waters in a bid to rescue the boys, before they were reached by specialist firefighters.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire council advise on lakes after Solihull deaths
It was the devastating news of these deaths which prompted Kingsmere resident Jamie Jessett to take action after he saw children playing on an icy pond near his home.
Bicester native Mr Jessett, of Epsom Way, took to social media to make the public aware of dangers local children are putting themselves in by walking across the ice.
In the Bicester Community chat Facebook group, Mr Jessett shared a photograph of the pond and wrote: “Yesterday noticed few kids walking across the icy pond in Kingsmere, Redcar Rd ..(if you look at this image you can even see the footprints) one of them had football.
“After seeing the news few kids have died in result of this behaviour elsewhere. Thought better share!
“Be safe! Don’t be silly! Stay off icy ponds/lakes!”
The picture subsequently reposted alongside safety information by Bicester Fire Station, followed by wider advice being published by Oxfordshire County Council for the whole of Oxfordshire.
“I saw the kids go across [the pond] and I was going to have a word with them but I thought ‘no, there is a better way of going about this’”, the 27-year-old explained.
By posting on social media for parents to see and making the fire service and schools aware, Mr Jessett felt he could have a “bigger impact” on the community and educate more children.
The Co-op worker and Bicester Litter Pickers founder said: “If you stand on an icy lake, that is not a sensible thing to do you are going to hurt yourself, it could crack and you could fall in.
“What happened in Solihull, I wish their families the best going forward. It is devastating.”
Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for community services and safety, said: “If you encounter somebody who is in trouble on or near ice, it’s vital that you don’t go in too.
“Call the emergency services on 999. Reassure the person, look for an object like a pole, rope, branch or a life-ring and throw it in to them.”
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Read more from this author
This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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