A WATER safety campaign has been backed by fire and rescue chiefs.

In 2015, 321 people died after tripping, falling or simply underestimating the risks associated with lakes, rivers and the sea.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has joined the call by UK fire chiefs to highlight the dangers of everyday activities near water.

Today marks the start of water safety week and the National Fire Chiefs Council's drowning prevention campaign Be Water Aware.

The week will see Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service undertaking community safety exercises and engaging with the public across the county to prevent fatalities.

The exercises will take place on Thursday April 27 at Windermere Ferry Nab and Saturday April 29 at Coniston Boating Centre, both between 10am to 1pm.

The Chief Fire Officers Association's water safety lead officer Dawn Whittaker said: "Most people would be shocked to hear that those people drowning just happened to be near water, such as runners, walkers and fishermen.

"They are unaware of the risks and are totally unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water.

"By highlighting this issue and making sure simple messages reach them we hope to reduce the number of needless deaths.

"The fire service has successfully reduced the number of fire deaths by focusing on prevention work and now we must apply the same principle to tackling drowning.

"Response is not enough – we must prevent them."

Working as part of the National Water Safety Forum, the NFCC aims to reduce the number of drownings in UK waters by 50 per cent by 2026.

The water safety initiatives also raise awareness of campaigns by the Royal Life Saving Society, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Amateur Swimming Association.