THE father of a teenager who drowned in the River Thames hopes his family's loss will warn others of the dangers of swimming in rivers.

Darren Downes from Harwell, whose 16-year-old son Ellis Downes died after getting into trouble while swimming in Culham on May 7, has spoken of his 'devastating shock' at what happened.

It comes as a new campaign, Respect for Wild Water, is launched by Oxford City Council aiming to halve the number of drowning fatalities in the next ten years.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation is ongoing after Ellis' family slammed Thames Valley Police for communication failures and the force's initial refusal to let specialist divers enter the water to search for Ellis.

Mr Downes said: “If I can help in anyway it would be to say how dangerous the temperature of the water is and how deceptive the depth of it can be.”

Ellis, who would have turned 17 in June, was near the end of completing a forestry and land management course at Common Leys near Witney.

Painter and decorator Mr Downes, 44, added: “It was a devastating shock for us and the whole village. We were overwhelmed by the support. Ellis had the whole world at his feet, his whole life to start.”

The city council said there have been six deaths in Oxford's rivers in the last two years.

Last June Aown Dogar, 13,drowned in a stream near Donnington Bridge.

Oxford Coroner’s Court heard he had been playing with friends when he got into difficulty and was swept downstream.

Paramedics spent more than an hour trying to resuscitate him after he was pulled from the water before he was pronounced dead.

The new campaign, in conjunction with Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and the Environment Agency, will focus on young people’s lack of experience in swimming in fresh water, the unexpectedly low temperature of the river water and its deceptive depth.

Lewis Sigsworth, crew manager of blue watch at Rewley Road fire station, said it was important people were aware of how dangerous the river can be.

He said: “You might be a Michael Phelps in a swimming pool but that is not going to help you when your body goes into shock as it plummets into the icy water.

“There is only one team in the whole of the county who can enter the water and rescue someone."

Peter Faulding, a forensic search and rescue specialist and owner of Specialist Group International, was part of the team that recovered Ellis' body.

He said river safety needs to be taught in schools and community groups and more buoyancy aids need to be available near rivers.

He added: “The water will always win because it is so unpredictable, it can be pitch black, it can have trolleys and push chairs thrown in the bottom which can trap you and its temperature is lethal."