Echo Comment: We must warn children of the dangers of water

It will be only a little consolation to the families that their men died in the course of a truly heroic action, trying to save the lives of others. We salute their courage.

We can see the selfless nature of their act in the story of Davey Short who survived the rescue attempt. He bravely pulled out one of the young lads. We salute him and all the others involved.

Stories of death in cold water follow immediately a heatwave is declared. As details of the Seaton Carew tragedy emerged, the family of eight-year-old Jordan Moon told how he had been hit by a freak 8ft wave in August 2003 on that beach and not survived.

On a 30-degree day beneath a beautiful blue sky, you can see the cool attraction of open water, be it a river or the sea.

But we must speak to our young people – our children, our grandchildren – about the very real dangers, of the shock of the cold water on superheated bodies, or, in the case of rivers, of unseen obstacles lurking below that trap feet and pull you down.

In a bid to scare the young into staying clear, previous generations invented hideous ogres, like Peg Powler who lived on the Tees, who lured children into their deaths. Perhaps our children are too sophisticated to believe in monsters, but we must get these messages across.

And if it is not for their own safety, it is for the safety of the rescuers, be they members of the emergency services or passers-by, who bravely but tragically get drawn in and leave families mourning heroes.