Outdoor swimmers warned of hypothermia after series of incidents at Parliament Hill Lido

Last week, lifeguards “encountered at least one swimmer with hypothermia every day,” staff at an unheated outdoor pool in Hampstead Heathmidnight Londonwrote on social networks.

“They’re starting to worry that people aren’t taking the temperature seriously.”

The water temperature has “dropped like a rock” and is now around 8 degrees, the report said.

“It’s much cooler than it was just a week ago, but some swimmers are still trying to stay in the water as much as they did last week,” officials warned.

Swimmers were urged not to stay in the water for too long and not to count on warming up in the sauna.

People are also warned not to enter the water if they have had a drink or lack of sleep the night before.

“Extreme temperatures can be dangerous and have led to many incidents this week,” officials said.

Hypothermia happens when you get too cold and your body temperature drops below 35 degrees.

Although none of the cases of hypothermia were serious and no one required hospital treatment, lifeguards were pulled from their other duties. the BBC reports.

Emma Rea, co-chair of the Parliament Hill user group, told BBC London that in recent years the pond “has been inundated with people wanting to try this new ‘craze’ of winter swimming”.

Outdoor swimming has become popular in recent years as research reveals many associated mental and physical health benefits, such as boosting the immune system and increasing metabolism.

Parliament Hill Lido is open all year round, with reduced hours during the winter months. The pool is managed by the Corporation of London and run by the charity Parliament Hill User Group.

London has several outdoor swimming pools, including Brockwell Lido and London Fields Lido. Brockwell Lido reported a water temperature of 8.9 degrees on Monday.

Tooting Bec Lido was closed on November 20 for around nine months for restoration work.