The head of Irish Water Safety is appealing for bathers to be more vigilant during the summer months.

The call comes following the death of a 13-year-old boy who drowned in the River Liffey yesterday afternoon.

The teenager entered the water with a group of friends between Islandbridge and Chapelizod at around 2.30pm but got into difficulty soon afterwards and tragically drowned.

A post mortem examination is expected to take place on his remains later today.

The CEO of Irish Water Safety, John Leech has said that people need to be extremely careful: “The water is actually at ten degrees so it is quite cool.

“Cold shock can be a killer so it is very important to swim within your depth and swim at a designated bathing area.

“You can identify that by being able to walk out onto the beach or onto the lake shore or the river bank and swim within your depth, so if you do get a cramp or if you become overwhelmed by the cold you can simply stand up and wade back into shore.”