Clothing left by pool in Shrewsbury sparks police search
A man who went swimming in a woodland pool on the outskirts of Shrewsbury yesterday sparked a police search after he forgot to take his clothes home.
Officers feared the man may have got into difficulties after the pile of clothes were discovered near the water’s edge of a deep pool off the Reabrook roundabout just after 5pm.
They carried out an extensive search of the pool surrounds, assisted by the fire service. A dog handler and the West Mercia Police helicopter were also involved.
The search continued this morning until eventually the owner was traced.
He told police he had gone swimming after drinking alcohol and had forgotten his clothes, making his way home in his shorts.
Clothing left by the pool in Shrewsbury included boots, trousers, a polo shirt, socks and a bag.
A West Mercia Police spokesperson: “There have been a number of recent tragedies in our force area, including two in Shropshire.
“We have issued repeated warnings about the dangers of swimming or cooling off in open water. We were concerned this might have been another tragedy and a considerable amount of police time, as well as taxpayers’ money, was spent establishing that the owner of the clothing was safe.
“Some people are continuing to ignore the warnings being issued by the police and other agencies. We would again urge people not to put themselves at risk by going into pools, rivers and lakes, and especially so when they have been drinking.”
