Samaritans put help signs on Shrewsbury bridges
Samaritans has put up signs on a number of Shrewsbury’s bridges urging people to get in touch before they do something drastic.
The signs, which have been placed bridges including the Frankwell footbridge and Welsh Bridge, have a hotline for people to call.
The river has taken the lives of a number of people over the years.
Five people were rescued from the River Severn in one week earlier this month – prompting police to launch a fresh plea for people to respect the river.
Shrewsbury’s police said alcohol and vulnerable people had been involved in the incidents, and said that although no-one had suffered serious injury, people were putting their lives at risk.
One of the incidents took place at about 11.35pm on August 1 when emergency crews were called to Chester Street after a report of a man in the water.
He was later found near the cricket club, intoxicated with an injury to his leg, having managed to pull himself out – but the search tied up emergency services, including the police helicopter for a more than an hour.
Another man was rescued after falling in the water from the Welsh Bridge at about 11.45pm on August 4.
And 10 days ago, a man ended up in the river at Welsh Bridge. Police were called to the area after concerns were raised for the ‘vulnerable’ man who had either jumped or fallen in to the water.
The man, believed to have been in his 20s, was assisted to safety on the river bank and was taken to hospital.
Six people have died in the river since 2010, with more than 50 having to be rescued by emergency services in that time.
The highest incident rate age band is 18 to 30 years of age.
According to the RNLI, there are an average of 400 drownings per year in the UK with a further 200 suicides in the waters.
Anyone wanting to talk to The Samaritans should call 116 123.
