One episode of hypothermia is seen daily at Parliament Hill Lido.

 

 

After experiencing at least one incidence of hypothermia every day for the previous week, a lido has advised swimmers to take frequent breaks from the water.

After lifeguards detected an increase in incidents, Parliament Hill Lido in Hampstead, north London, posted the warning on its Facebook page.

Swimming in cold water has grown in popularity as a result of news stories highlighting its many health advantages.

But for swimmers who are novice, it can be risky.

Given the recent occurrences of hypothermia, a swimmer from the Parliament Hill Lido User Group urged swimmers to avoid staying in the water for too long.

 

The lifeguard team have asked you all to becareful and to shorten your swim from now on,” the user wrote.

 

“We have had at least one hypothermic incident every day for the last week.”

 

Swimmers were also warned not to use the saunas to warm up if they got into trouble.

 

“Everyone that has got into difficulties this week has tried using the sauna to warm themselves up. It does not always work, and sometimes makes warming up more complicated

 

The lido told the BBC News that although none of the cases was serious enough to require hospital treatment, the lifeguards were taken away from their other duties, putting swimmers at risk.

According to report, one member of the swimmers’ group said they had seen the lifeguards “calmly handle two emergencies within a 15-minute period”.

 

Emma Rea, co-chair of the Parliament Hill User Group, asked swimmers to “listen to their body” and “recognise that you are not there to push yourself to the limits”.

 

She told BBC London the lido had been “rather inundated by people wanting to try out this new ‘craze’ of winter swimming in recent years”.

 

Ms Rea advised new swimmers to consider the temperature before entering the pool, and not to go in if they had been drinking or had not slept enough the night before.

 

A spokesperson for the Hampstead Heath charity reminded visitors that “there are risks associated with cold water swimming, even for regular winter swimmers”.

 

“We are advising people to swim with care and only spend a short amount of time in the water.”