Fish pond safety

I've just read about this dreadful tragedy and wondered if any of you with small grandchildren have fish ponds and if so what precautions do you take when the children are around.

I have a friend who's 18 month old child drowned in their fish pond whilst she was hanging the washing up, not recently I hasten to add, but to this day she has never got over it and still blames herself.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/two-old-tw...694.html?nhp=1

Re: Fish pond safety

Although the kids that visit me are older, I still have a wire mesh over my pond. It was mainly to stop herons and crows nicking my fish, frogs, and toads. I used to have newts, but they seem to have gone now.

Re: Fish pond safety

It is very sad when a youngster drowns in the family pond, I couldn't open your link.
If anybody has a pond children should not be allowed near it, easy to say I know but I have have brought up 3 children around ponds, but never ever without a wall around it.
My last pond is in the picture to demonstrate what I mean, the pond contains 5000 gallons of water and is 6 ft deep, It is still a hazard but most of the risks have gone because of the wall.
I no longer have it was filled in a few years back.

Re: Fish pond safety

That was quite some pond Wrinkly. Sorry you couldn´t open the link, it´s a news article about twin boys, aged 2, both found drowned in the fish pond.
A dreadful tragedy, it doesn´t bear thinking about. This is the article.

.................


Two-year-old twin boys have drowned after reportedly falling into a fish pond in Fife.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Dalgety Bay at around 8.20am on Saturday after the boys were found.

They were taken to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy where they were pronounced dead, Police Scotland said.

Officers are supporting the family and working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

A force spokesman said: "We received a call around 8.20am on Saturday following a report of concern for two children at an address in Dalgety Bay, Fife.

"Two male twins, aged two-years-old, had reportedly drowned in a fish pond and officers attended with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

"The children were taken to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy where they sadly died.

"Officers are supporting the family at this time. Inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing."

Re: Fish pond safety

I hate ponds, I associate them with death. This was even before my daughter's best friend's son died after falling into one. His grandfather had been looking after the toddler. The phone rang and the grandfather answered it. In the meantime the child wandered off, unlatched the gate leading to the pond, fell in and drowned. So awful.

Re: Fish pond safety

Any pond/pool deeper than 300mm in a backyard has to have a childproof fence round it (or an unmovable grill over it) under NSW Swimming Pool Act 1992, that includes fish ponds. Only applies to private property not public parks.

Still get kids drowning though but a lot less than it used to be.

Re: Fish pond safety

How dreadful to lose both little ones

Re: Fish pond safety

The saddest thing .
Poor poor parents they will never get over this.

Re: Fish pond safety

A very sad story, dreadful.

I have a largish lake at the end of my garden that the kids loved when younger but they could swim, didn't stop me putting a fence and gated pontoon to stop them or their friends venturing too near.

security is paramount where water and kids are concerned.

I feel for the parents, the pain and guilt will be with them forever.

Re: Fish pond safety

I couldn't agree more. Our little fish pond was filled in a couple of years ago, not to stop children falling in it, it was me who was always tripping and ending up in it.

Our swimming pool is surrounded by walls, two of them built by Mr Clumsy, and a gate which is kept locked when there are any children here. No children are allowed poolside without adult supervision.