Riverside safety patrols to take place in Shrewsbury this Christmas

Water-rescue specialists will be working in small teams near the River Severn to provide a level of safety cover for Christmas revellers and steer them away from the water’s edge.

Twenty men per year are found dead after going missing on a night out in the UK, and 89% of those are found in water, with town centres seeing the highest incidence of deaths.

A West Mercia Search & Rescue spokesperson said: "We are all too familiar with searching for young men who have entered the river and succumbed to the immediate cold.

"Nationally it’s a problem, but we see it highlighted in busy town centres like Shrewsbury where the nightlife is great and the river so close.

"In the last few years, our charity has been involved with the search for Shane Walsh, Dwight Jeffrey-Shaw, Thomas Bebbington and Daniel Hodgin, all of whom entered the river at Shrewsbury.

"We feel it’s important as a rescue team to try and prevent harm as well as dealing with its aftermath, so it’s a natural progression for us to work with West Mercia Police and use our expertise on the riverside to try and stop further tragedy over the Christmas period."

The team’s volunteers will be deploying in the Welsh Bridge area initially, between 8pm and 1am on 16th, 22nd, 23rd, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

They will be working in close contact with West Mercia Police, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, Shrewsbury Street Pastors and the town’s CCTV system to help vulnerable individuals.

The pilot scheme is hoped to be used as a model for extending patrols to other riverside towns in the region next year.

West Mercia Search & Rescue need your help to pay for life-saving equipment, training and maintenance costs, for more information see http://westmerciasar.org.uk/donate/