A search and rescue group in West Mercia, which includes north Shropshire, is urging people in the county to have water safety as the summer months approach.

West Mercia Search and Rescue find people who are at risk from mental ill-health, physical injury, hazardous terrain or water, and ensure their safety.

The team was recently instrumental in locating an Oswestry man, taking three days and around 400 man hours to locate a body for police and then helped with recover across difficult terrain.

Kirsty Walsh has taken an ambassadorial role with the team, and is calling for people to take care when in the water with West Mercia SAR offering a free online course.

"We are called out by the Police and Fire Services when help is needed in locating vulnerable people in Shropshire, Herefordshire or Worcestershire," she said.

"West Mercia SAR is a registered charity, and nobody in the team is paid for their time.

"We are always looking for donations but I thought would be good for people to know who we are and also to promote water safety especially over the warmer months coming up.

"We have been called out over 150 times and our average callout lasts nine hours and 45 minutes, while we average 100 training sessions per year.

"West Mercia Police deal with nearly 2000 missing people every year. We donated around £380,000 of value to West Mercia Police since 2013, in terms of man hours. This has allowed them to use funds on other areas of policing for the community."

The free online course can be found at https://westmerciasar.org.uk/homeanddry/free-water-safety-online-course/