As families and friends of the 35 summer victims come to terms with their unimaginable loss, World Drowning Prevention Day highlights the profound impact of the devastating deaths07:02, 25 Jul 2026These are the faces of dozens of tragic Brits who have lost their lives in open water this summer as we reinforce the Mirror's Save Lives for Sam campaign message on World Drowning Prevention Day.Water-related deaths in the UK have spiked significantly during the sweltering summer weather and heatwaves, driven by people entering dangerous open water to combat the scorching conditions. Heartbreakingly, 35 people have died since late May, with record-breaking temperatures gripping the country and forcing people to cool off.Today, we reiterate our call with the equivalent of a classroom of children needlessly lost every single year as we remember all those who have perished already this summer.Fresh warnings have been issued as the school holidays begin with concerned campaigners arguing that drowning has become an "epidemic" and a "national emergency" as we join forces to urge the Government to take urgent action following a harrowing few months.Bereaved families and MPs are backing the Mirror’s campaign, named in memory of Sam Haycock, the 16-year-old boy who died in a reservoir in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in 2021.With August expected to also be baking, it is feared many more could die during the summer holidays, unless something is done now with Olympic legends Becky Adlington and Tom Dean throwing their support behind our water safety drive.A distressing ten weeks has left families and friends broken and communities rocked by needless losses. Our interactive map above details where and when the drownings occured, and how we reported on the tragedies as they unfolded.The devastating surge in deaths started in late May when 15-year-old Declan Sawyer got into difficulty at Swanholme Lakes nature reserve.He was one of eight teenagers who lost their lives in open water during that Bank Holiday weekend as education bosses were warned to get swimming lessons on the curriculum right away.Also on May 24, Rushabh Patel, 28, was having a picnic with his wife and 18-month-old daughter at Bury Fields in Newport Pagnell, when he jumped into the River Great Ouse to save two friends. They lived, but tragically Rushabh suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.Abbie Carmody-Pepper, who like Declan was 15 years old, died while bathing at Burrow Beach, Dublin. Her death came hours before the body of Lilliana Tomlinson, 16, was retrieved from the water at Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire with with death of 13-year-old Reco Puttock prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from his family.The body of Muhammed Secka, 16, was discovered the day after emergency services were called to Rother Valley Country Park, South Yorkshire, on Bank Holiday Monday. Earlier that day, a search involving a police helicopter, drone units and police divers found tragic Samuel Murphy, 14, in Hawley Lake near Farnborough, Hampshire.That same weekend, grandfather Phil Crow, 68, died trying to save his granddaughter after she was swept out to sea in Cornwall. He managed to push her to safety but suffered a cardiac arrest.The family of Junior Slater, 12, said they had lost the "life and soul" of their lives after he was pulled from the River Ribble as temperatures set a new May record.‌Chiedza Nyanjowa was carried out into deep water at Formby beach on Bank Holiday Monday after going into the ocean to fetch a ball. A coroner later condemned "selfish" drivers after illegally parked cars, delayed emergency vehicles from reaching the scene where the 15-year-old girl had drowned.‌Just a day later, 17-year-old David Tita Jr - described as "compassionate, sensitive, brave and full of light" - died after swimming with friends in Pickmere Lake, between Knutsford and Northwich. George Cuckoo, 15, was also with pals when he drowned in Kent on the same day.Also on that date, Baltazar L’Qui, 14, died after getting into difficulties in the River Thames near Oxford. The case remains under investigation. A day later, Charlie Noble, 16, lost his life in Stirling, Scotland as did Panashe Muchenje, 19, in Balderton Lake, Newark.‌Theresa Wheelhouse, 68, was swept out to sea after trying to rescue her pet dog from the sea off the Lancashire coast. Palwasha Akbar, 13, was discovered in River Wharf, North Yorkshire a day later.June was also harrowing as the death toll soared. The body of Greg Howes, 44, was found by dive teams searching in the River Yare in Surlingham on the Norfolk Broads. After a 48-hour search, 11-year-old Mackenzie Swift's body was recovered from the River Don in Mexborough, Doncaster.‌Also last month, Irebami Penisire Salami, 15, died at Testwood Lakes, Totton, the body of Hayden Jones-Powell, 13, was found in Lancashire, with 22-year-old Brody Leach pulled for them River Severn. Leon Pafu Ngoy, 15, couldn't be saved after struggling at Clifton Country Park and Umar Dumbuya, 18, died in the River Wye, Mid Wales.Despite the warnings, July hasn't been without tragedy. Iretomiwa Abiodun Micheal, 16, was rescued from Swanholme Lakes but died later in hospital. Karl Holland, 18, got into trouble at a beauty spot in Oldham and was pronounced dead at the scene with Davey Short, 48, dying at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool.‌This week, a tragic teenage girl and her mother died after getting into difficulty in Essex. Shelina Rahman, 41, and Samiha, 15, died in after trying in vain to save Samiha's seven-year-old cousin from the water at West Mersea Island Beach.‌The mother and daughte got caught in the high tide and, despite the the valiant efforts of teenagers on the beach, were pronounced dead at the scene. The little boy is fighting for his life in hospital.‌The Mirror's campaign was launched by Sam Haylock's tearful dad Simon, who has been on a lone struggle to save other children ever since his 16-year-old son Sam drowned in Ulley Reservoir in Rotherham on his last day of school in 2021.‌‌He said: “I’m backing the Mirror campaign because change needs to happen and it needs to happen fast. There is something up with the Government if they don’t listen to us all now. This is a matter of life and death.”On World Drowning Prevention Day, warnings a plenty have been sounded.‌New footage shows a dramatic RNLI rescue saw two young boys saved after they were dragged underneath Blackpool Pier by stong waves during a family day trip.‌Chris Cousens, RNLI Water Safety Lead said: “Instinctively, most people who find themselves struggling in the water will begin to panic, swim, or thrash about."Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. It’s fine if your legs sink – we all float differently.‌We’re urging people to ignore this instinct and remember to float: Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally.‌By doing this, you give yourself the chance to rest and recover your breathing. Once you’ve regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety.”The British Red Cross have shared with the Mirror why water safety matters during a heatwave, with a shocking 46 per cent of accidental drownings in the summer months.‌A study shows 60 per cent of deaths happen inland, away from the coast, most commonly in rivers and lakes. They say even if you have no intention of getting close to any water, it’s important to understand the dangers so you can make safe decisions.‌Professor Mike Tipton, chair of the National Water Safety Forum, said: “Drowning is killing more people than bicycles, fires, floods and knife crime but somehow it still stays below the radar. It’s an epidemic that has not been properly recognised."‌The Mirror continue to demand compulsory water-safety lessons, a national awareness drive, proper rescue equipment at dangerous waters and Sam’s Law to make protections permanent. Our message is simple - swimming is not a luxury or a sporting extra, it is a life skill.‌Backing the campaign, four-time Olympic medallist and TV presenter Becky Adlington OBE, told the Mirror: "Too many families have suffered devastating losses. As someone who has spent my life in and around water, I know how important water safety education and awareness is.‌“We need to improve public understanding of the risks of open water swimming, increase access to lifesaving equipment, and ensure all children are taught essential water safety skills. We have to start seeing swimming as a fundamental life skill.”‌Triple Olympic champion and RLSS UK Ambassador Tom Dean said: "I am pleased to support this campaign to improve water safety education and prevent drowning.”The Royal Livesaving Society UK said: “Every year, around 33 children in England drown. It is the equivalent of a classroom of children lost.”Labour’s Mr Pitchers has been fighting relentlessly to improve water safety in the UK since meeting dad, Sam’s dad.‌He explained: "I still remember the day Simon told me what happened to his son, Sam Haycock. My own boy was the same age at the time, and when you hear a story like that, it never leaves you.‌“That is why I am calling on the government to act now and deliver a national water safety awareness campaign before the summer holidays begin.“I am pushing for this campaign for Sam, and for every child and young person who has tragically lost their life in our waterways, so that their lives were not lost in vain."‌‌Children must leave school knowing how to tackle the water, an expert warned in the aftermath of the terrifying May Bank Holiday death toll.The Outdoor Swimming Society's Kate Rew joined the demand for better education about the dangers of water and said the biggest step toward reducing deaths is not by telling kids to stay out of the water - but by teaching them how to use it.‌She thinks targeted campaigns on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram will ram home a safety message severely lacking in recent years.‌The organisation are concerned by statistics that show an alarming increase in drowning among low-income and ethnically diverse children. Research pointing to a need for greater government involvement, with one in four children leaving school unable to swim.‌"These tragedies are devastating, and accidents wherever they happen can occur frighteningly quickly," she said.‌"We see tragic deaths every summer and think one of the biggest steps towards reducing these is helping more children become confident swimmers. People love water. The desire to seek it out in hot weather is natural and is never going to change."Humans are one of the few mammals who cannot instinctively swim, so for us it is a life skill that needs to be taught. But huge numbers of children are still leaving primary school unable to swim confidently, and the gap is strongly linked to income.‌"Statistics suggest that in the most deprived parts of England, fewer than half of children can swim 25 metres by the end of primary school, compared to around three quarters in the least deprived areas."We need more swimming lessons, greater access to pools, and more opportunities for children and adults to build confidence in water safely.‌"Of course, swimming 25 metres in a warm indoor pool is very different from being able to swim the same distance in cold, moving outdoor water.‌"Swimming is one of the most accessible and popular forms of exercise. This is about health, confidence, freedom and joy, as well as safety."‌The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has offered fresh advice for anyone who finds themselves struggling while swimming. The lifesaving charity warn that while the air temperature may be warm, the waters are often very cold, and shock remains a very real risk.‌Now, the mission is to make sure no more lives are unnecessarily lost in the water.All those who lost their lives this summerDeclan Sawyer, 15 - Swanholme Lakes, Lincolnshire (May 24)Rushabh Patel, 28, River Great Ouse, Buckinghamshire (May 24)An unnamed woman, 72, West Angle Bay beach, Pembrokeshire (May 25)Reco Puttock, 13, Leadbeater Dam, West Yorkshire (May 25)Lilliana Tomlinson, 16, Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire (May 25)An unnamed man in his 60s, Padstow, Cornwall (May 25)Abbie Carmody-Pepper, 15, Burrow Beach, north Dublin (May 25)Chiedza Nyanjowa, 15, Formby Beach, MerseysideMuhammed Secka, 17, Rother Valley Country Park, South Yorkshire (May 26)Samuel Murphy, 14, Hawley Lake, Hampshire (May 26)Phil Crow, 68, Tregirls Beach, Cornwall (May 26)Junior Slater, 12, River Ribble, Lancashire (May 26)David Tita Jr, 17, Pickmere Lake, Cheshire (May 27)George Cuckoo, 15, Swanscombe, Kent (May 27)Baltazar L’Qui, 14, River Thames, Donnington Bridge (May 27)Charlie Noble, 16, Bracklinn Falls, Stirling (May 28)Panashe Muchenje, 19, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire (May 28)Theresa Wheelhouse, 68, Rossall Promenade, Thornton-Cleveleys (May 30)Palwasha Akbar, 13, River Wharf, North Yorkshire (May 31)Greg Howes, 44, River Yare, on the Norfolk Broads (June 1)Mackenzie Swift, 11, River Don, Doncaster (June 2)Irebami Penisire Salami, 15,, Testwood Lakes, Totton (June 24)Hayden Jones-Powell, 13, Meynell Lake, Lancashire (June 26)Brody Leach, 22, River Severn, Shrewsbury (June 27)An unnamed man, 69, Marine Parade East, Clacton-on-Sea (June 27)Leon Pafu Ngoy, 15, Clifton Country Park, Swinton (June 28)Umar Dumbuya, 18, River Wye, Mid Wales (June 30)Iretomiwa Abiodun Micheal, 16, Lincoln (July 9)Karl Holland, 18, Dove Stone Reservoir, Oldham (July 10)An unnamed man, 49, Sykes Reservoir, Stockport (July 12)Wayne Taylor, Seaton Carew beach, Hartlepool (July 12)Ian Pascoe, 62, Seaton Carew beach, Hartlepool (July 12)An unnamed man in 20s, Cullercoats Bay, Tyneside (July 20)Samiha Rahman, 15, West Mersea, Essex (July 23)Shelina Rahman, 41, West Mersea, Essex (July 23)Article continues belowThe Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer.That includes compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety. Find out more about the campaign and how you can support it here.