A CAMPAIGN warning of the dangers of drowning due to drinking too much alcohol was launched by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and Oxfordshire emergency services last week.

The fire service, police and members of the drowning prevention charity were in Broad Street, Oxford, on Friday, to raise awareness of the dangers of walking by water after drinking alcohol.

Figures from RLSS UK state 20 percent of all adult victims of drowning have alcohol in their bloodstream.

“We want festive drinkers to look after each other in their groups to make sure that nobody walks home on their own, especially by water. It’s not worth the danger,” said Helen Bowker, the charity's community drowning prevention co-ordinator.

“We’ve taken a multi-agency approach because there are lots of different organisations who are involved, far all too often, when things go wrong.”

The national campaign runs all week but began a week early in Oxford to target pupils from Oxford University.

“There has been an increase in recent years of 18 to 21 year-old fatalities where alcohol has been in their system and we wanted to get the student economy before they leave for home,” said Miss Bowker.

Over the period of 2012-14, on average 38 percent of 18 to 21 year-olds who drowned had alcohol in their bloodstream. In 2015 that figure rose to 67 percent.

Gary Coupar, Oxfordshire Country Council fire and rescue service’s fire risk manager, said: “We tend to be the first port of call, so if anyone does get into trouble in the water, their friends often ask for the fire brigade.

“If when we turn up we can see the person on top of the water we have the equipment for people to go into the water and save them.”

“The biggest problem for us is when we turn up and they have already disappeared under the water. There is very little we can do in that circumstance.”