Campaigners have urged the government to increase the number of children learning to swim at school following a spate of water-related deaths in recent heatwaves.
Youngsters should leave primary school being able to swim 25 metres – but figures from Swim England show only 75% of pupils in Yorkshire were able to do so.
Many children may never learn to swim because of a lack of access to lessons and swimming pools, say advocates.
The government said swimming was a “vital life skill” and pledged to increase access and improve attainment as well as ramping up water safety knowledge.
Mum Emma, who is unable to swim, said accessing learner classes for her daughter Darcy was a “priority”.
She explained that she had “bad experiences” as a youngster trying to learn.
“I probably should try and get over the fear because as soon as I get into water up to my face level I’m scared,” she said.
Emma called for an increase in school swimming alongside more awareness of water safety.
Over the summer months this year, Yorkshire has so far seen at least four deaths in open water – including 13-year-old Palwasha Akbar, from Bradford, who died after getting into difficulty in the River Wharfe near Burnsall on 31 May.
A few days earlier, 13-year-old Reco Puttock died after he was pulled from Leadbeater Dam in Halifax.
Muhammed Secka, 16, died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Rother Valley Country Park, South Yorkshire, on 25 May.
His inquest was told he was unable to swim.
Eleven-year-old Mackenzie Swift died after going missing in the River Don in South Yorkshire on 30 May.
There have been at least 29 deaths in open water across the UK since the spell of record-breaking hot weather, which began in May.
