Saturday (6 July) saw more 999 calls that New Years’ Eve, purely because of the hot weather.  New Years’ Eve is traditionally the busiest day of the year for emergency services, but last Saturday topped these figures by a fair stretch.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said that 3,211 emergency phone calls were made on Saturday, compared to the 2,815 that were made on New Years’ Eve.  Due to the increase in temperatures, people are spending more time outside – by the likes of open water – and tend to consume higher levels of alcohol.  The effect of alcohol is one of the main reasons behind New Years’ Eve being such a popular day for 999 calls.

The service has renewed its warning over the dangers of swimming in open water

One incident on Saturday involved a teenage boy swimming in a lake at a quarry in the Malvern Hills.  The boy was pulled out of the water at Gullet Quarry in Worcestershire about three and a half hours after the alarm was raised when he failed to resurface.

Det Insp Richard Rees from West Mercia Police said: “We are privileged to live and work in a beautiful part of the country with a huge area of water. However, this comes with its dangers and we would appeal for people to recognise the risks associated with water and act responsibly.”

Alan Stanley, from the emergency support organisation Severn Area Rescue, said that swimming in the cold water of open lakes can cause a reaction in the brain that tries to save the major organs by shutting down certain functions.

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