NEW students at a York university will be given warnings about the dangers of open water in the city.

Freshers attending for their first year are required to take part in a safety briefing this month, which this year includes extra warnings about river safety, following a series of deaths in the city.

York St John University are working with York St John University Students’ Union (YSJSU) to deliver a Plan Safe, Drink Safe, Home Safe campaign, which they are ensuring is a key part of the induction process for all new students.

The welcome week timetable will include talks on river safety, which must be attended, and have been updated since last year.

Nic Streatfield, head of student services at York St John, said: “We are actively supportive of the work done by YSJSU to ensure students are provided with clear, practical advice on planning a great, but safe night out and a safe journey home by promoting the campaign on campus and through social media.”

“Students’ Union sabbatical officers and student volunteers take the safety campaign message to the frontline during Welcome Week by raising awareness of the risk of spiked drinks, encouraging students to stick with friends, arranging walking buses during the first weeks of term and providing water and snacks to encourage students to eat food and stay hydrated during a night out.”

Organisers said last year’s campaign led to more students eating a meal before going out on an evening, and more alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the night.

The Don’t Drink and Drown campaign, developed with Jackie Roberts - whose 20-year-old daughter Megan died in the River Ouse following a night out with friends in 2014 - and the Royal Life Saving Society, is once again being promoted this year, and North Yorkshire Police are providing Getting Home Safely videos and advice on their website aimed at students and visitors.

In recent years, more than half a dozen people have died in the Ouse or Wharfe in York, and the RLSS campaign was set up to help raise awareness about the dangers of mixing alcohol and fast flowing water.

The campaign began in York earlier this year, and saw CPR workshops at both universities, talks from water safety organisations, and social media activities. The University of York’s student union said they would be re-running the Don’t Drink & Drown Campaign.