YORK Outer MP Julian Sturdy has praised the work of the York Rescue Boat crew.

Mr Sturdy is vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Water Safety and Drowning Prevention, and recently met representatives from the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) in Parliament, including Jackie Roberts, to support their campaign to reduce drownings in York and across the country.

Mr Sturdy said “I am very grateful to have been able to meet with Jackie and all the representatives from the charity. Sadly, drownings occur far too often in York and I hope that we can all work together to help raise awareness about the dangers of rivers in order to prevent such tragic accidents from happening in the future.

Mr Sturdy joined Dave Benson and the York Rescue Boat team on Saturday, and praised their work before taking to the water with them.

He said: "I cannot praise the work of the volunteers enough for helping to keep people safe around our cities rivers.

"It cannot be emphasised just how important their work is to preventing drowning from happening and I hope that local people recognise that they are the unsung heroes of York and should be commended for everything they do."