Members of the public can find out what is being done to tackle drowning prevention in Scotland through a new website.
On average over the past three years, there have been 50 accidental fatalities and 29 suicides in Scottish waters each year.
Water Safety Scotland, set up by RoSPA in 2014, aims to understand the risks around water in Scotland to tackle this issue through a number of channels.
The group, made up of nearly 30 organisations including local authorities, charities and the Scottish Government, has relaunched its website – www.watersafetyscotland.org.uk – to make it more user-friendly and accessible for members of the public.
Michael Avril, chairman of Water Safety Scotland and community incident reduction manager at the RNLI, said: “We are working together to raise awareness and prevent water-related fatalities, as drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“While we work to improve issues such as education, policy and suicide prevention, www.watersafetyscotland.org.uk will help the public to better understand water risks and what’s being done to tackle drowning.”
Water Safety Scotland is currently working on a response to the UK-wide Drowning Prevention Strategy, drawn up by the National Water Safety Forum, which will be launched in March.