'Don't do it, don't go for a swim' - man whose brother drowned in canal issues urgent summer safety warning

A man whose brother drowned in a canal on a night out has issued an urgent warning to all over the summer months, saying: "You just wish people wouldn't do it - don't go for a swim. But they don't seem to listen."

Tony Dodd said it's not just teenagers who need to be warned about the dangers of open water, recalling his younger brother Wayne's death at the age of 43. He spoke out after a spate of recent water tragedies, including the death last month of 15-year-old Abbie Walton in the River Etherow in Broadbottom, Tameside.

Tony's brother Wayne, of Mansfield Road, Hyde, was walking home along the Ashton Canal on August 26, 2011, after drinking at a pub when it's believed he tripped and fell in. His body was found the following morning by a passing barge.

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It was a regular route for him - he'd been walking along the towpath since he was around 10 - and he also swam in the canal during hot weather, reports the Mirror.

Tony said the tragedy still devastates his family 12 years on - and he is reminded of his brother's passing every summer when he sees similar water deaths in the news, often involving youths. At least 15 people - mostly teens - have died in open water this summer already.

Tony, 61, who works as a security steward at AO Arena in Manchester, lives in Hattersley, not far from Broadbottom where Abbie drowned. He said: "You try to get used to it, but when you read something like what happened to that girl [Abbie Walton], it brings it all back."

Referring more generally to open water accidents, he said: "I'm always commenting on Facebook saying 'don’t go near open water'. Especially if alcohol's involved. It doesn't