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Stay safe at our reservoirs

We want to keep all visitors to our recreational sites safe, and with over 150 reservoirs across the North West, it’s vital to spread the message that reservoirs are beautiful – but deadly.

Reservoirs can be extremely dangerous, and are not the place for swimming, boarding or paddle boarding even on the warmest of days. Here, we have some useful information for parents, teachers, and young people to spread awareness of our water safety messaging.

  • Deep water and steep sides make it difficult to get out, and hidden machinery can be a hazard
  • Remote locations mean It may be difficult for emergency services to help anyone in trouble
  • Strong currents can be caused by machinery under the water
  • Cold water shock can take your breath away and lead to panic, as the water is extremely cold
  • Reminder: We have a no swimming, paddleboarding or kayaking policy at the majority of our reservoir sites. For more information and to find approved sites for water sports, please click here.

Guide for parents

Click here for more information about the hazard of reservoir swimming.

The activity

Click here to test your knowledge on reservoirs by completing the statements in our activity.

No peeking!

Answers to our activities can be found here.

Paul Philips, Northern Catchment Manager, tells the real life story of when a young boy drowned in front of his family at Thirlmere Reservoir. He urges everyone to warn their family and friends of the dangers of swimming in reservoirs.

60 Seconds of Summer

Watch the trailer for ’60 Seconds of Summer’ a play about 13 year old Dylan Ramsay from Chorley who tragically lost his life in open water.

Important Notice

Cold Weather

Due to the freezing weather conditions across the region a number of our customers are experiencing no water or reduced pressure, caused by frozen pipes in their home. There are a few things you can do to check if you have frozen pipes. If you are unable to complete these checks please reach out to your family, friends or neighbours to see if they can help:

  1. If there are no local issues check with your neighbours. If they have water, you may have a frozen pipe in your property.
  2. Here’s what to do. Turn off your stop tap by turning it clockwise, it’s usually found under your kitchen sink, but can be in your garage or cellar.
  3. Once you’ve turned your stop tap off, turn on your cold tap in the kitchen
  4. If you have no water, this could be due to a frozen pipe somewhere in your home. This may be the pipe which comes into your home near to where your stop tap is located.
  5. Carefully thaw the pipe using a warm towel, or if safe to do so a hairdryer in short bursts, ensuring you keep well away from water. If you can get water from a neighbour you could try a hot water bottle too. This could take a while, depending on how frozen and big your pipes are.
  6. Switch your stop tap back on to see if the water is running.

You can find more information at www.unitedutilities.com/frozenpipes.

If you have followed all of the advice provided and still want to talk to us, please give us a call. As we are experiencing really high call volumes at the moment, please bear with us as wait times will be longer than usual. 

Due to the freezing weather conditions across the region a number of our customers are experiencing no water or reduced pressure, caused by frozen pipes in their home. For more help and advice if you have a frozen pipe head to www.unitedutilities.com/frozenpipes.

Cold Weather

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