Open water swimming to be trialled at reservoir

Open water swimming is being trialled for the very first time at a reservoir in Derbyshire.

The event, Carsington Water Island Swim, organised by Severn Trent and Pacesetter Events, will be held on 11 July.

Competitors will be able to swim around the one mile (1.6km) course as many times as they want during a two-hour timeframe.

Organisers said the event will act as a trial for future open water swimming sessions at the site.

Severn Trent Water said Carsington was chosen as the location for the trial as it has "consistently met the water quality testing requirements" needed for swimming.

On the pilot event, Donna Marshall, visitor engagement manager at Severn Trent, said: “We know that outdoor swimming has grown in popularity over the years and this is something we’ve wanted to introduce for a while, so we're really pleased to be able to offer this pilot session at Carsington.

"Reservoirs can be really dangerous places so it's important that people only ever enter the water to take part in a managed, organised event. There will be lots of measures in place to ensure that the swim event will be as safe as possible.”

Pacesetter Events said swimmers will be required to use swim floats and wear swimming hats for every session, along with wetsuits if the water temperature is below 16C (60.8F).

Paul Cowling, from Pacesetter Events, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to support Severn Trent in trialling open water swimming at Carsington Water.

"It's an amazing location with all of the on-site resources that we'd need for this event and we’ve worked really closely with Severn Trent to find safe swimming routes on the reservoir."

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