FOR THE first time in living memory the river Boyne in Drogheda was frozen yesterday, and warnings were issued to the public about the dangers of walking on ice.
“If people, including young people, fall into the water, the shock of the cold will incapacitate them and they will drown very quickly,” said John Leech of Irish Water Safety.
The Boyne is one of the most dangerous rivers in the country, and every year its fast-flowing currents claim many lives.
“In my 23 years working with the river rescue I have never seen this, never. It is extremely rare and a great worry to us,” said Alan Floyd, chairman of Drogheda River Rescue and Recovery Service.
The main worry of emergency volunteers is that people may think the ice is strong enough to take their weight when it is not.
“The problem is the ice is only a few millimetres thick and people could think it is safe to walk on; it may take the weight of a dog or a bird, but not a person. Don’t go near it is our message,” he said.
This was echoed by Mr Leech, who said: “Ice on the Boyne is very very hazardous and quite likely to lead to the loss of life. A child who is supervised and is playing by shallow water that has frozen is different, but when it comes to ponds, lakes, rivers and deep pools, ice is far too dangerous.”
He said the ice was most dangerous when it starts to thaw and this was reiterated by Mr Floyd, who said when the temperature warmed by a couple of degrees yesterday morning, lumps of ice broke away and floated downstream towards Drogheda town.