New banners warning of the dangers of swimming at Teddington Lock have been put up by the Environment Agency.

The giant red banners state: "DO NOT SWIM OR JUMP IN THE WATER HERE. Severe risk of DROWNING or LIFE-CHANGING INJURY."

They can be seen on the railings by the Lock footbridges and on the Weir itself.

They were put up by the Environment Agency (EA) today (17 August).

In a tweet, the EA Operations and Waterways Manager for the Thames Maria Herlihy said: "We have installed new water safety banners at #Teddington lock ,these banners highlight the serious risks of jumping into the River.

"We will be installing these signs along the whole River."

Last month, boat owners and volunteers spoke out about youths swimming in the Lock channel.

Turks Launches owner Richard Turk said he had "never seen the river so dangerous" as youths could be seen swimming on the Weir and diving off bridges.

In response, the Environment Agency fenced off Teddington 'beach' and installed security.

The organisation also told Teddington Nub News: "The Environment Agency have been working closely with our partner organisations since the spring to come up with effective ways of managing the on-going issue of people swimming near Teddington lock, as it is not something that we can solve on our own."

What do you think of the new banners?

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