A MOTHER left in a “never-ending nightmare” after her son drowned in the River Ouse when he slipped off a bridge has today backed our Think, Don’t Swim campaign.

Trainee accountant Paul Rogerson, 26, of Arthur Street, York, fell into the river as he was balancing on the parapet of Ouse Bridge in March this year.

The 26-year-old, of Arthur Street, York, had been on a night out when he lost his footing and fell into the river. His body was recovered some hours later.

Today, his mother, Karen, relived the moment she was told her son was gone in the hope another family would not have to endure the trauma she and her family had faced.

She said it was 2.20am when she was woken by a policeman knocking on the front door and informed Paul had fallen into the Ouse. The next few hours was a frantic wait for information as police tried to locate Paul and find out what had happened.

The family were still hopeful Paul had managed to scramble out of the water and to safety but when Karen went to the riverside to speak to the underwater search team at about 9.30am she was given little cause for hope.

She said: “We spoke to the divers who told us that there would be no way Paul could have got out of the river as the current underneath was so strong.

“When you first hear something like this you don’t quite believe it, but when realisation hits it is the worst thing in the world. It is one of those things that you hope and pray will never happen to you. Nobody can truly understand unless they have been through it.”

Karen is speaking out as part of The Press campaign which aims to drive home the deadly dangers of York’s rivers.

“If you asked friends how we are coping today, they would say very well,” Karen said. “We are strong people. You have to stay strong otherwise you would crack up, but this is something we will never get over and to be honest it seems to get worse as time goes by.

“Paul was very close to his brothers and sister, David, Daniel and Nikita, and they miss him immensely, as do all the family and his close friends. “He was a great son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and friend. He was loved by so many people and had so much to live for.

“I would like to say to everyone, especially the younger generation, you are not invincible. Do not go for a swim in the rivers or get too close. They are very dangerous places. We do not want any more families going through this never-ending nightmare. It is devastating to lose a child and my family and I would do anything to help stop another family going through this nightmare.”