THE families of three young people who died in York’s rivers this year have backed sweeping measures to improve safety near the city’s waterways.

Megan Roberts, 20, Ben Clarkson, 22 and Tyler Pearson, 18, are three of the 24 people who have drowned in the rivers Ouse and Foss in the last 15 years.

Today (Friday, September 19) a broad range of initiatives to tackle river safety in the city were announced in a joint campaign between the City of York Council, Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan and York police.

The announcement, in the York council offices, were accompanied by the launch of three brief, but poignant films made by Megan’s mother, Jackie, Tyler’s father, Steve and Rachel Peatfield, the girlfriend of Ben Clarkson.

Speaking after the films were unveiled, Megan’s mother, from Wetherby, said focusing on the campaign had helped her channel her grief from her daughter’s death into something positive.

Megan was a student at York St John University and had been out drinking with friends when she is believed to have stumbled into the river in the dark.

“I felt like Megan was behind me, driving me with it,” said her mother.

“It’s about her and honouring her memory. I felt very strongly about that from the start. I thought she can’t die the way she died and nothing be done to try and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

“York does have a big problem with the river going right through it. It’s a big, dangerous feature - it’s like a massive motorway.

"Megan ended up in it completely by accident. She didn’t know where she was and there was nothing to stop her and warn her.”

Mrs Mulligan said she hoped as many people as possible would watch the films and the message would impact on them.

“To see something like that and remember it and have it at the back of your mind is potentially quite powerful,” she said.

The campaign intends to link in with initiatives to tackle alcohol safety in the city, initiated by leader of the City of York Council James Alexander, in response to mounting concerns over drunken disorder in the city, which in recent years has become a popular destination for stag and hen parties and also hosts student populations from two universities.

But Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said it was by no means a problem limited to young people. She said they were particularly alarmed by the extent of “pre-loading” where people drink alcohol at home before arriving at a pub.

Superintendent Phil Cain, commander for York Police, said they were looking at introducing measures such as giving door staff the ability to breathalyse pub-goers on the door if they appeared too drunk and training them to intervene with vulnerable people.

City of York Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing said measures to improve riverside safety included installing floating ropes along the River Ouse, new fencing and grab rails which could be in place by spring next year, as well as educating children in York about water safety.

She added: “But the main theme we’ve been talking about is information and the key is personal responsibility.”

The videos can be seen on YouTube.