CALLS are being made for £50,000 to be sunk into educating Worcestershire people on the potentially deadly dangers of water.

The fire authority is in the process of piecing together proposals for the 2017/18 budget which will be voted on in February.

Councillor Richard Udall, from the authority's Labour group, says he wants to earmark spending on a new project to promote water safety.

Every year firefighters have to trek into Worcestershire's rivers, canals, quarries and flood zones to rescue people who get stuck, fall in or try swimming and end up in danger.

Cllr Udall says some fire authority money should be spent working with the Environment Agency on it, including sending firefighters into schools.

It follows the creation of a £50,000 pot in this year's budget which is being used to promote fire safety in houses occupied by multiple people, like students or young professionals.

Cllr Udall said: "We all know we're under pressure and resources are tight, but we have to continue to look at ways that can improve the safety of our residents which may reduce the cost of running the fire service.

"Last year Labour secured an extra £50,000 spending to promote fire safety in houses of multiple occupation, it's been a significant success and we have managed to reduce fire incidents.

"This year we wish to focus on water safety - we will be asking for a similar investment which we hope will help will prevent incidents.

"Floods are a growing concern in our county and the service often has to help people who get into difficulty,

"Working with the Met Office and the Environment Agency will not prevent floods, but it may reduce the dangers and the risk to health for both the public and our own firefighters."

The plea has been given a positive response by Conservative Cllr Derek Prodger, who chairs the fire authority.

"We will certainly look at it, I'm very supportive of the type of work where firefighters go into schools," he said.

"There is a lot of water around Worcestershire and it does need resources, it's right that we look at promoting safety where we can so this is something I'm prepared to look at."

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has benefitted from considerable cross-party working in recent years with UKIP, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors also sitting on its fire authority.

Incidents of people getting stuck in waters are all too frequent around Worcestershire, including revellers who fall into Worcester's riverside and cars that get stranded in flooded fords.

In 2013 two young men died swimming in the deadly gullet quarry at Castlemorton Common, near Malvern.