PEOPLE have been spotted jumping off a bridge and into a reservoir, in shocking photos captured by United Utilities.

The above image was captured yesterday, at Yarrow Reservoir in Rivington, when dozens of similar incidents were said to have been repeated across the North West.

Bosses at the water firm fear " it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt, or worse".

They have now issued another stark danger warning to visitors at some of the region’s favourite beauty spots

It is the third such warning in a matter of weeks, following repeated incidences of people ignoring life-preserving social distancing and ‘no swimming’ advice.

United Utilities previously said it seen people taking "life-risking" dips in reservoirs ­— and even turning up with inflatables.

And on Friday alone the firm said its rangers recorded dozens of cases of people jumping into reservoirs and refusing to respond to requests to adhere to well-signposted guidance when asked.

Paula Steer from United Utilities said: “The government’s ease of lockdown restrictions is welcome news for many, especially with the current glorious weather.

"But now is not the time to let our guards down.

"Increasing numbers of people, many of them children and young people, but by no means all of them, are choosing to ignore the dangers, as our pictures show.

“Our people can’t be everywhere all of the time and we also have to consider the risk to our own staff in approaching people to warn them.

"I would urge all parents to stress and stress again to young people, that no matter how inviting the water looks, it is deadly.

"The effect of cold on the human body can be sudden and fatal and by the time you realise, it’s too late.”

Swimming in reservoirs is strictly prohibited due to the hidden dangers and risk of drowning.

Despite these perils, many tragic deaths and injures are caused by people jumping into reservoirs and other restricted inland waters every year.

The safety warning to avoid reservoirs has also been echoed the Lancashire and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services.

Mark Hutton, group manager from LFRS, said: “People may be surprised to hear that firefighters deal with water rescues but we have six stations around the county that specialise in swift water rescue and two with specialist boat crews.

“Due to the nature of drowning incidents prevention is always far better than cure as no matter how fast the emergency response is sometimes we just cannot get to the location of people in difficulty fast enough.”

Paul Fearnhead, area manager from GMFRS, added: “As always we advise people not to enter or swim in open water – if there is no lifeguard then it is not safe to swim.

"Too many people have lost their lives after getting into difficulties in water – even the strongest of swimmers suffer from cold water shock and can find themselves caught up in objects hidden beneath the water’s surface.

"Please wait for leisure centres to re-open before you think about swimming.”