Alcohol main cause of Thames deaths

During 2013 it is reported that 15 people lost their lives drowning in the Thames with 12 of them involving alcohol.

This is a sharp increase on previous years with 34 drowning over the previous four year, Alan Tilbury relates.

244 rescued

This includes the whole of the Thames, both tidal and non-tidal, with 244 people being rescued by the RNLI from the tidal stretch during the year.

Guy Addington, of the RNLI issued a stark warning as the current hot weather prompts more people to risk their lives in the river:

"One of the strongest messages for people near the river is just be sensible if you are planning on having a drink on a hot day. In the summer the number of people that end up in the river due to alcohol is much higher.

"The problem with alcohol is that people tend to lose their inhibitions and then entering the water seems like a good idea, but even the strongest of swimmers can suffer because of unpredictable and strong currents that flow way faster than nearly everybody can swim.  Also even in the height of summer the river can still be incredibly cold and there are plenty of obstacles that could seriously harm you if you swim into them.