IT’S THE WEATHER for swimming – but the waterways running through and past East London boroughs are not the place to do it. They are dangerous.

That’s the message emphasised by Tower Hamlets Council today, as they have reminded residents and visitors not to swim in Shadwell Basin (see picture). The water may look inviting, but there can be all sorts of obstacles on the floor of our rivers and canals. These can entangle swimmers and hold them under the water. Rivers, canals and large areas of standing water – such as docklands and basins – can also have currents you may not be expecting. Often the edges to our water have been built up: it is all too easy to be dragged under these edging ledges and to find yourself with no light and no sense of where the way out is. Finally, even if the weather is very warm, the water can still be cold and leave swimmers shocked and struggling.

The good news is that there are plenty of places in Tower Hamlets where you can go swimming in safety. Four Be Well Centres have swimming pools which are free for men and women over 35:
•Mile End Swimming Pool
•Poplar Baths Swimming Pool
•York Hall Swimming Pool (this is temporarily closed)
•Tiller Road Swimming Pool

We do hope that the pools are free for children, but this is not clear on the Tower Hamlets press release – or the Be Well website. You do have to book a place to go swimming: the best thing is probably to go to the Be Well Centre near you and ask. Be careful when looking for Be Well centres: the Be Well website states that the Tiller Leisure Centre is near Canary Wharf, but it is nowhere near Canary Wharf – though it is near several residential estates.

In the meantime, if you see someone struggling in the water, call 999.

●For more information go to:
Be Well

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East London News