More than 90 people drowned in France between 19 June and the end of the month during the country’s intense heatwave. Government figures released last week were accompanied by a warning from sport and youth minister Marina Ferrari. ‘Very young children are particularly vulnerable and must not be left unsupervised,’ she said. ‘There are young people engaging in dangerous behaviour, such as “I’m going to jump off a bridge” or “I’m going into an unsupervised canal”.’

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Such antics were de rigueur during the heatwave, particularly in cities such as Paris, where people cooled off by leaping from bridges into rivers and canals. In the Canal Saint-Martin, in the heart of the capital, two young men drowned in separate incidents.

The worry for the authorities in France is that the number of drownings will continue to rise now that the school holidays have arrived – just as another heatwave is set to sweep across the country. Temperatures this week in the south of France are expected to touch 40℃.

There were 409 drownings in France last year – a 16 per cent increase on the previous year – and among the victims were 57 children and........

© The Spectator