Drowning kills more people in England than fire, flooding, or knife crime

Between 2019 and 2023, England recorded 2,306 water-related deaths. Prof Mike Tipton, chair of Water Safety England, which launched the country's first national drowning prevention strategy on 23 July 2026, called it an "ongoing public health disaster." Of accidental drownings, 80% of victims were male, mostly aged 20–29.