CITY-centre pub landlords have thrown their support behind The Press’s Think, Don’t Swim campaign, saying they have witnessed too many people risking death in York’s rivers, writes Miranda Kirkwood.

Publicans have agreed to put up our posters, which aim to raise awareness of the dangers of jumping or falling in the Ouse or Foss by telling how bartender Richard Horrocks drowned in July after leaping into the Ouse from a riverside balcony.

Shaun Binns, landlord of the riverside Lowther pub in Cumberland Street, said that a week after Richard’s death, he saw seven or eight men on a stag night jumping in the water.

“People are trying to be clever in front of their friends and they think it’s all in good humour, not realising the dangers they face,” he said.

“The water is freezing cold and there are boats to account for.

“My family have been in this business for 24 years and we’ve seen too many accidents and fatalities.”

Leann Williams, manager of nearby Plonkers bar, agreed.

She said: “They have a drink and think they’re invincible, when in reality they’re not. “It’s an unnecessary risk to take and it can be avoided. People should realise that even the strongest of swimmers would find it hard in there.

“Anyone that lives in York knows what’s happened in the past. There have been too many tragedies. We’ve seen far too many bodies come out of that river and it has to stop.”

Plonkers’ landlady Eileen Goodwin said: “People just don’t realise how dangerous it is. They’re up for having a laugh and that’s all that matters.

“I think we need more warnings near the riverside because if you look there are hardly any around. This is a good start at least.”

Other pubs which have agreed to display the poster include Revolution off Coney Street, where Richard, 21, had just finished his last shift when he made the fateful decision to leap in the river.

The Think, Don’t Swim campaign has the full support of his mother and sister, Vicki and Abbi, and also the mother of Paul Rogerson, another man who drowned in the Ouse earlier this year after falling in from Ouse Bridge.

The poster blitz will be followed later by the distribution to pubs of beer mats carrying the campaign message, and also the launch of a hard-hitting film.