MP's emotional direct plea to the public to help save lives as drownings become a 'national emergency'

MP's emotional direct plea to the public to help save lives as drownings become a 'national emergency' Lee Pitcher MP, Member of Parliament for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, has backed the Mirror's Save Lives for Sam campaign and put pressure on the Govenment Water safety campaigner Lee Pitcher MP is calling on the public to support The Mirror's 'Save Lives for Sam' campaign and push for the Government to raise public awareness before the summer holidays. The Doncaster MP has joined forces with the Mirror, to try and stop an 'national emergency' which saw 19 people drown in one week during the last heatwave in May. He is now tabling an Early Day Motion in Parliament, calling on the government to launch a national television and social media campaign on the dangers of swimming in open water, targeted at young people and parents, before the summer holidays begin. In a direct plea to the public, he explained: “Early Day Motions are formal motions that only MPs can sign, calling on the government to take action on a specific issue. The more MPs who sign, the harder it is for the government to ignore," he explained. Writing for the Mirror about his mission to stop others drowning, the MP explained why he feels so passionately about it. Before he was elected he told of meeting Simon Haycock, whose son Sam, drowned five years ago at Ulley Reservoir in South Yorkshire. He said: "My son phoned me last week to tell me about his plans for the summer. He's just finished his first year at university. He has the whole world ahead of him. When I hear his voice, I often think of Sam. "Sam Haycock was the same age as my boy when I first heard about his story. His dad Simon handed me a photo of him at a fire station in Thorne, South Yorkshire, and told me what had happened. "I didn’t hear everything he said at first, as I had tuned in to the pain I could hear. A pain that can only be felt by a parent who has lost a child. Sam was just 16. He'd just finished his GCSEs. It was hot, it was summer, and he did what countless teenagers do by going to cool off in a reservoir with his mates. "When Sam got into difficulty, his friends tried to help but the safety equipment was locked. They had to call 999 and wait for a code before they could even begin to access it. In an emergency like that, every second counts. Sam never came home. "Since that day, Simon has dedicated his life to making sure no other parent goes through what he went through. He has gone into schools, spoken to communities, and campaigned relentlessly for change. From the moment the first tear fell down my face listening to his story, I made him a promise: if I ever made it to Parliament, I would do something for Sam. "Last year, I kept that promise by bringing forward Sam's Law. A Private Members' Bill that would require safety equipment at reservoirs, make it a criminal offence to vandalise that equipment, and put water safety education on the national curriculum. It passed its first stage unanimously and shortly after the government adopted part of it, launching a Water Safety Code in schools. This was a great first step, but we now must adopt Sam’s Law in full as the tragedies have not stopped. "In the past few weeks alone, 19 people have lost their lives to drowning during the hot weather. Many of them were children and young adults. That is nineteen families who will never be the same again. Nineteen phone calls that no parent, partner or friend should ever have to receive. "Drowning kills more people in this country than cycling accidents, house fires and floods. And yet we still do not treat it as the national emergency it is. "I spent 25 years working in the water industry before I entered Parliament looking at climate change over the next 100 years and specialising in flood and drought. I have seen what water can do. I know the risks. And I know that these deaths are preventable. "That is what makes this so frustrating. We are not powerless here, and we can act. The World Health Organisation recognises drowning as a preventable public health issue. Scotland has a designated minister for drowning prevention and has seen a 10 per cent reduction in deaths as a result, and Wales has followed a similar path. Whereas England? England currently has nothing. "That is why I am proud to be part of the Mirror's “Save Lives for Sam” campaign, alongside bereaved families, the Royal Life Saving Society UK, RoSPA, Swim England, the National Water Safety Forum, the Swimming Alliance and Olympic champions Rebecca Adlington and Tom Dean. Together, we are calling on the government to do five things." "The summer holidays are weeks away, temperatures will rise, children will head to open water. We know what happens next, because we see it every single year. "Sam Haycock should be 21 now. He should be at university, starting his first job, excited about England’s chances in the World Cup this summer, or planning a holiday with his mates. He should have his whole life ahead of him. "He does not. But his legacy can be that he saves the lives of others. Sam's Law. Sam Saves Lives." About the early day motion, he says: “Please share this post far and wide and email your MP asking them to sign it: https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65973/public-health-campaign-on-the-dangers-of-swimming-in-open-water.”