The father of a teenage boy who drowned in the River Cherwell is calling for better safety measures on rivers and other waterways across the county.

Hassan Hussain, 15, a pupil at The Cherwell School, Oxford, drowned in the river near the University Parks on Thursday evening when he strayed into a deep section just metres from the bank.

Now Hassan's father, Bashir, of Jack Straw's Lane, Oxford, wants to prevent a further tragedy.

Mr Hussain said: "I am very mindful of the fact that there is not a danger notice at the place where the accident happened and there is nothing in the way of a lifesaving ring.

"You would expect and assume there would be something there, but clearly there was nothing. If there had, it could well have saved my son's life.

"He was a sensible lad and if there had been signs up saying 'Danger, do not swim' I'm sure he would have taken notice of them."

It is believed that Hassan panicked when he suddenly found himself in deep water after stepping off a shallow three or four foot shelf near the river's edge.

Mr Hussain added: "I have lived in Oxford all my life and I assumed the river was just two or three feet deep. I just hope that more signs are put up and more safety measures put in place now, so that Hassan's death was not in vain."

Oxford University, which is responsible for the River Cherwell at the site of the accident and throughout the University Parks, said it was investigating possible ways of making people more aware of the dangers in the river.

A spokesman said: "We are currently seeking professional water safety advice as part of our review following the tragic drowning."

County councillor Mohammed Altaf-Khan, who represents Marston and Headington, wants the university to put up warning signs at the site of the accident immediately.

He said: "More and more people are using rivers with the weather as hot as it is and if there are no signs, no warnings, no lifeguards, no safety measures whatsoever, it is very dangerous."

The Environment Agency, which is responsible for the River Thames, said: "We can't stop people from swimming in rivers but what we do try and do is make people aware of the risks in terms of the speed of the currents, other boats in the area, and the fact that water can be much deeper and colder than it appears on the surface."

"We do have life rings up around locks and weirs, but not on towpaths because we do not own them.

"The other thing we advise against is bridge jumping - people never know what is beneath the surface."

All swimming pools in Oxford offer free admission for under 17s.