GG

GG (identity protected) was six years old when she survived a drowning incident at the Galleon Leisure Centre in 2019. A key lesson was for operators to ensure they position lifeguards with a clear view of all parts of the pool after an inflatable play structure masked the location of GG. 

Komba Kpakiwa and Josephine Foday

Komba Kpakiwa (31) and Josephine Foday (22) drowned while visiting the Down Hall Hotel in 2013. A key lesson from this case was the need to remove a hazardous 'hopper' shaped pool design and to properly perform periodic checks of the CCTV images.

Elsa Carneau

Elsa Carneau was 25 years old when she drowned after swimming lengths underwater at Virgin Active Kensington in 2011. A key lesson from this case was the need for CCTV images to provide a clear view of the pool and for emergency responders to respond effectively to pool incidents. 

Zainab Yusef

Zainab Yusuf was one year old when she escaped from her parents and drowned in the pool at Esporta Health Club in 2011. A key lesson from this case was the need for CCTV images to provide a clear view of the pool. 

Kaimen Ward

Kaimen Ward was eight years old when he drowned Stone Cross Pool in 2010. A key lesson from the case was the importance of ensuring lifeguards have visibility of their zone, including under features such as waterfalls, which had hidden Kaimen from the lifeguard's view. 

Michelle Gellard

Michelle Gellard was a 7-year-old who drowned at Blackwater Leisure Centre in 2008. A key lesson from the case was the need to ensure lifeguard arrangements are not compromised by insufficient staffing levels and that those on the poolside can see all parts of the pool. 

Suraj Mall

Suraj Mall was an 8-year-old boy who drowned at the Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre in 2008. A key lesson from the case was the need for lifeguards to avoid prolonged conversations with customers and ensure they have visibility of all areas of the pool. The case is also an example of customers not recognising the signs that a person is drowning. 

Luke Hutton

Luke Hutton was seven years old when he drowned at the Olympia Centre in 2007. A key lesson from this case was the need for lifeguards to prioritise checking and ensure lifeguards can see all areas of the pool before extending the search for a missing person to other parts of the centre. 

Harjeet Rathor

Harjeet Rathor was five years old when she drowned at the Dome Leisure Centre in 2007. A key finding from the case was the need to ensure features that obscure a lifeguard's view through the water are properly supervised. 

Charlotte Subuhon

Charlotte Subuhon drowned at a birthday party she attended at the Chafford Sports Centre pool in 2000. A key lesson from the case was the need to provide sufficient numbers of lifeguards to provide full visibility of the bottom of the pool. 

Thomas Brown

Thomas Brown was four years old when he drowned at the Inverness Aquadrome in 2000. A key lesson was to ensure lifeguards had a clear view of the pool after a lazy river was left unsupervised.  

Gameli Akuklu and William Kadama

Gameli Akuklu (14) and his friend William Kadama (15) drowned at the Peel Centre in 2002. A key lesson from this case was the need for operators to ensure lifeguards can see all areas of their zone and are positioned in the best vantage point after severe glare problems masked the location of the two boys.  

Daniel Cummings

Daniel Cummings was six years old when he drowned at the Pentire Hotel in 1997. A key lesson from the case was the importance of ensuring good water quality to ensure lifeguards can clearly see the bottom of the pool. 

Joshua Curtis-Moore

Joshua Curtis-Moore was five years old when he drowned at the Castaways Beach Hotel in 1997. A key lesson from this case was the need to maintain good water quality to enable lifeguards to have a clear view of the bottom of the pool. 

Unsafe supervision

Past drowning incidents have taught us the importance of properly assessing whether lifeguards are required, providing them where it is reasonably practicable, and ensuring lifeguards provide effective supervision at all times. 

Olly Kimber

Olly Kimber was 26 years old when he survived a drowning incident at Woodlands Caravan Park in 2017. A key lesson from this case was the need for operators and consultants to properly assess whether lifeguard supervision is required. 

Maya Kantengule

Maya Kantengule was 7 years old when she drowned whilst attending a birthday party during a private hire session at the Waveney Leisure Centre in 2016. A key lesson from the case was the importance of hirers being properly supervised by the operator and the need for the management team to demonstrate their competency in pool safety management.  

Sam Sebastian

Sam Sebastian was an 18 year old student at West Gate School who survived a drowning incident at his school pool in 2016. A key lesson from this case was that serious consequences can occur from a lapse of concentration, even by experienced staff.

Anthony Grant

Anthony Grant was 56 years old when he drowned at Mile End Leisure Centre and Stadium in 2016. A key lesson from this case was the need for regular lifeguard rotations and the benefit of having an additional layer of protection through an automated monitoring and detection system. 

Evan Davies

Evan Davies was four years old when he survived a drowning incident during a swimming lesson at Bro Ddyfi Leisure Centre in 2014. A key lesson was the importance of swimming teachers understanding the need to maintain supervision of their group throughout the lesson, even with children they know well. 

Keenan Walsh

Keenan Walsh was four years old when he drowned whilst visiting a holiday let with his family at Bicclescombe Grange in 2013. A key lesson from this case was the importance of removing a hazardous area of deep water and properly assessing the need for lifeguard supervision. 

Blakeney Dear

Blakeney Dear was five years old when he survived a drowning incident during a holiday activity club taking place at the David Lloyd Leisure Heston Club in 2013. A key lesson from this case was effective management oversight of changes to risk assessments and the importance of lifeguards not allowing themselves to be distracted. 

Aidan Yule (Sands)

Aidan Caleb Yule (also known as Aidan Sands) was six years old when he drowned whilst on holiday with his family at the Red Lion Holiday Park in 2011. A key lesson from the case is the importance of properly risk assessing whether lifeguards are required and providing them where it is reasonably practicable to do so. 

Seojin Kim

Seojin Kim was seven years old when she drowned whilst on holiday at the Talacre Beach, Caravan and Leisure Park in 2010. A key lesson from the case was the importance of having appropriate supervision arrangements in place to provide early intervention should a young child escape the attention of their parents around the swimming pool.

Madhav Cherukuri

Madhav Cherukuri was a 25-year-old student who drowned at the Adelphi Hotel in 2006. A key lesson from the case was ensuring a proper risk assessment is conducted into whether lifeguard supervision is required.

Jason Bibby

Jason Bibby was eight years old when he drowned at Herringthorpe Leisure Centre in 2001. A key lesson from the case was the importance of sufficient lifeguards to provide effective pool supervision.  

RXDX

RXDX (identity protected) was a six year old boy who survived a drowning incident at Danes Camp Leisure Centre in 2002. A key lesson in this case was that lifeguard supervision can still be ineffective even when both lifeguards have their eyes on the pool. 

Adrian Pullman

Adrian Pullman was 11 years old when he drowned at the Little Farm Respite Centre in 2003. A key lesson from the case was the importance of not leaving children unsupervised around the pool. 

Chad Mole

Chad Mole was seven years old when he drowned at Splashland Pool in 2005. A key lesson from the case was the need for lifeguards to have visibility of all parts of the pool and for lifeguards to remain in their allocated positions. 

Vanessa Gregson and Tshan Kamara

Vanessa Gregson (19) and Tshan Kamara drowned at Honicombe Manor Holiday Park in 1999. A key lesson from this case was the importance of properly risk assessing whether lifeguards are required and removing hazardous features such as steep slopes. 

Jane Bell

Jane Bell was 3 years old when she drowned at the Dalmeny Hotel in 2014. A key lesson from this case was the importance of having competent emergency responders to be able to rescue and recover a person from the deepest part of the pool and the need for a proper assessment of whether lifeguard supervision is required. 

AA

AA (identity protected) was seven years old when he survived a drowning incident during a summer holiday activity at St Edmond's Independent School in 2014. A key lesson from this case was the need to ensure lifeguard qualifications are up to date and are providing effective supervision of the pool. 

Muhammad Talha Baber

Muhammad Talha Baber was 12 years old when he drowned whilst attending a holiday activity at Newlands School in 2011. A key lesson from this case was the need to ensure lifeguards have had a proper induction and for duty managers to be prepared to make unpopular decisions when faced with a choice which may compromise the safety of others. 

AB

AB (identity protected) was a nine year old boy who survived a drowning incident at Harlow Fields School and College in 2011. A key lesson from the case was the importance of having suitable and sufficient operating procedures for the pool and training for pool staff. 

Sophie Konderak

Sophie Konderak was a 16-year-old competitive swimmer who experienced a fatal cardiac arrhythmia during a swimming coaching session at Braunstone Leisure Centre in 2009. A key lesson from the case was the need for lifeguards to be trained to identify agonal gasps and taught to continue CPR. 

ZH

ZH was a 19-year-old non-verbal autistic man with epilepsy and a learning disability who was assaulted and subject to disability discrimination whilst being forcibly removed from Acton Swimming Pool in September 2008. A key lesson of the case is the importance of establishing appropriate contingency and emergency arrangements and providing adequate disability awareness training to employees such as lifeguards. 

Linda Shields 

Linda Shields was 34 years old when she claimed she had injured her back whilst performing an assisted lift on an RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguarding Course in 2001 at the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. Whilst her claim was unfounded, a key lesson of the case is the importance of giving proper safety briefings before hazardous tasks during training sessions. 

John Rudderham 

John Rudderham was a sixteen-year-old boy who drowned at the Atlantic Water Park in 2000. A key lesson from the case is the importance of lifeguards having a clear view of the bottom of the pool and responding effectively to concerns raised by customers.  

Tan Li

Tan Li was a 19-year-old student who drowned at the Southgate Leisure Centre in 2007. A key lesson from the case was ensuring lifeguards understand the importance of not talking on the poolside and that appropriate oversight is provided by managers. 

Adrian Miles 

Adrian Miles was a former army officer who drowned at the University of Wolverhampton swimming pool in 2006. A key lesson from the case was the need for lifeguards to understand the potential cost if they allow themselves to become distracted whilst on supervisory duties.

Andrew Spry

Andrew Spry was 12 years old when he drowned at Grays Swimming Pool in 2005. A key lesson from this case was the need for lifeguards to understand the potential consequences of allowing themselves to become distracted. 

Daniel Bell-Chambers

Daniel Bell-Chambers survived a drowning incident at a pool in the Royal Borough of Windsor in 2005. A key lesson of the case was that lifeguard supervision can be found to be deficient even when they are watching the pool.