Garden ponds are great! They’re nice to look at, good for wildlife… Unfortunately they’re not so good for young children. In fact, garden ponds are involved in more than half of all toddler drownings.

Water holds a particular attraction for young children, and the risk from drowning is high with (on average) five under-6s drowning every year in garden ponds. Even the shallowest of ponds can be lethal – from a child’s perspective, a 500mm deep pond is equivalent to an adult falling into 1800mm of water – the child being unable to climb out of the water. Whether the water is held in a garden pond, a rainwater butt, a paddling pool or a bucket, a young person will invariably investigate.

We have updated our Pond Safety Guidance, which is found in our Schools Guidance.

Learn more:
Pond and garden water safety – RoSPA
Pond dipping – RoSPA
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