THE mother of a 16-year-old who died after getting into difficulties while swimming near a waterfall has spoken of her loss in a bid to stop another parent suffering the same fate.

Lisa Rogerson’s son, Curtis Atherton, died just four days before his 17th birthday while swimming in the River Tees, on June 14.

The teenager, from Hartlepool, was swimming with his brothers and friends at the pool area below the High Force waterfall, in County Durham, when he got into trouble.

A major rescue operation was launched after the alarm was raised at 8pm with police, fire crews, air support and mountain and fell rescue carrying out a search of the river, near Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Curtis was found at around 9.45pm and recovered from the water by a fire brigade rescue boat crew.

He was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he later died.

Now his mum is trying to raise awareness of the dangers of cold water shock to stop other parents suffering the way she is.

Speaking of her loss, Ms Rogerson, said: “I’m taking it day by day at the minute; it’s very hard and if it was not for my other sons I think I would be with him.

“We are just trying to muddle through and do each day as it comes.”

The 41-year-old, who is also mum to Daniel, 22, and Jamie, 23, said her sons had decided to celebrate Curtis’ birthday with a visit to the waterfall.

Curtis, a construction apprentice, had gone with them after finishing work for the day and the trio picked up friends from Crook, where they had previously lived before moving to Hartlepool a year earlier.

“A couple of days before we had told them not to go into the water when they were talking about going up there but boys will be boys,” Ms Rogerson said.

“Kids think they can do it but it’s absolutely devastated us. I still think I’m not believing it even though I identified him at the hospital.”

The family is also calling for an SOS phone to be installed near the waterfall and has been in touch with Raby Estates in a bid to have one installed.

They have also set up a JustGiving page in a bid to raise £2,500 to fund it, along with other emergency equipment.

Ms Rogerson added: “Ideally I want a phone located down by the water pool because it could save 15 to 20 minutes as there’s no telephone signal there at all to call for help. My eldest son was in the water trying to save Curtis and my other son ran up to the hotel and cut all his legs open to get help and that to me was valuable time.

“Raby Estates have said they don’t like the idea of a phone down there due to vandalism but if it could potentially save a life I think it’s important to have something like that.”

She said: “Curtis would have had a better chance of surviving, even though they said when they pulled him from the water he was dead. Yes they did try to resuscitate him but those extra minutes could have made a big difference.”

To donate visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/paul-coulsonphatso

No one from Raby Estates was available to comment.