'Fifth UK heatwave of the year brings deadly danger - action on open-water deaths cannot wait'

'Fifth UK heatwave of the year brings deadly danger - action on open-water deaths cannot wait' 'The grim statistics tell us that, before this week is out, a teenager will leave home for a swim and never return. We desperately hope that prediction is wrong. How many more families need to pay the price before meaningful change comes?' Another UK heatwave means more tragic deaths - action cannot wait The fifth heatwave of the year is bearing down on Britain, with temperatures forecast to hit a punishing 36C. As the mercury rises, so will the temptation to cool off in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. And with it comes a deadly danger. The grim statistics tell us that, before this week is out, a teenager will leave home for a swim and never return. We desperately hope that prediction is wrong. That every youngster who heads out into the heat comes safely home. Simon Haycock knows the agony when they do not. His son Sam was just 16 when he drowned at Ulley Reservoir in 2021. His family’s lives changed in an instant. That is why The Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam campaign, which demands stronger action to prevent needless open-water deaths, is so urgent. Successive Prime Ministers have backed us. But with another heatwave on the way, action cannot wait. Open water can kill without warning. How many more families need to pay the price before meaningful change comes? Listen to families living with SEND failures before reshaping system No parent should have to choose between sending their child into misery or breaking the law. Yet that is the desperate reality facing families whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They describe a system that has left parents on their knees, children shut out and, most harrowing of all, some youngsters contemplating suicide. Their warning over plans to move more SEND support into mainstream schools must be heard. Mainstream education can work brilliantly for many children, but specialist provision is a lifeline for others. Taking it away without the staff, funding and support to replace it would be cruel. More than 150 families are asking Andy Burnham to meet them. He should. Before ministers reshape SEND, they must listen to the families living with its failures every day. Extraordinary Pride of Britain nominees deserve to be celebrated Pride of Britain has always been a reminder that amid the noise and gloom, extraordinary people are quietly doing extraordinary things. This year’s nominees have moved even hardened judges to tears. Their courage, kindness and selflessness deserve to be celebrated. They show Hollywood's star Michael Sheen is right: there is more good around us.