Pool owners are being urged to make sure their fences are secure in time for summer after a new report revealed the devastating toll of child drownings across Australia .

According to Royal Life Saving Australia 183 children under the age of four drowned between 2015 and 2025, with 65 per cent of deaths occurring in swimming pools.

In most cases, the tragedies took place in backyard pools where children gained access unsupervised or through a gate that had not been closed properly.

Accidental falls into water were responsible for 72 per cent of deaths, followed by bathing. Another 33 children, mostly aged one and under, drowned in bathtubs over the same 10 year period.

With the drowning risk peaking over summer, RLSA will today launch its Keep Watch campaign which includes a message

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