Conference to tackle drownings

New figures show the number of people who drowned off the coast of Devon trebled last year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is holding a special conference on Monday aimed at reducing the number of drownings.

Last year six people died off the coast of Devon, according to provisional figures from RoSPA.

Now the group is calling for a more joined-up approach to tackle the problem.

"Because of the number of different government departments and other organisations involved in water safety, there have been great difficulties in developing a co-ordinated approach," said Peter Cornall, RoSPA's Head of Water Safety.

"Delegates to our conference will be asked to support the National Water Safety Forum, which will look at issues such as education and accident prevention, developing guidance and best practice."

The theory is that while most people are aware of the tragedies, not enough is done to report near-misses and, as a result, opportunities to tackle potential disasters are missed.

Transport Minister David Jamieson will also be at the conference in Brighton.

He will be launching new guidelines called Safety on Beaches.