Noted on BBC web site
Tuesday 22nd December 2009
Revellers are being warned to be careful using bridges in icy conditions.
A rescue and recovery charity has warned revellers in Glasgow "to stay well clear of the city's icy waterways" over the festive period.
Glasgow Humane Society said people who had been drinking were at greater risk of accidents around water.
It said crumbling riverbanks and ice on bridges could present unsuspecting danger to partygoers.
The charity also warned that lifebelts placed on the banks of rivers and canals were often stolen or vandalised.
George Parsonage has been on lifeboat patrol along Glasgow's rivers for 42 years with the Humane Society.
'Frighteningly difficult'
He said: "We really don't want any lives ruined this year - your own, or the lives of loved ones - because of one moment of silliness or over-confidence near water.
"Currents are fierce and the temperature in rivers such as the Clyde is always remarkably low. You would have just three or four minutes before early signs of hypothermia set in.
"Combine this with the rubbish and weeds tangling around your ankles and swimming becomes frighteningly difficult. Trust me - you really do not want to take the chance."
Glasgow Humane Society is involved with day-to-day accident prevention measures and rescue and recovery duties on the city's waterways from its base at Glasgow Green.