A MAN’S “tragically unwise decision” to go for a swim in one of the district’s reservoirs has prompted a fresh warning from a Bradford coroner.

Alan Rasoul, 27, from Blackpool, died in Ponden Reservoir, on Scar Top Road, near Haworth, on June 15 this year.

At an inquest, Bradford assistant coroner Ian Pears, ruled Mr Rasoul died an accidental death.

Mr Pears said he agreed with a police officer’s assessment that a “tragically unwise decision led to Alan’s death.”

In addition to the very cold water in reservoirs, Mr Pears also warned of other dangers, saying: “It’s not really well known that there are currents in the water.

“Mr Rasoul died from swimming while in Ponden Reservoir. It was an accident death.”

A coroner’s report stated that Mr Rasoul’s cause of death was drowning - submersion in water.

The inquest heard how Mr Rasoul, his brother Jiluan Rasoul and a friend Usman Sajid set off from Preston on June 15 of this year to attend a prayer event in Bradford city centre.

After eating some food, the three men headed back to Preston but Mr Sajid said: “I noticed the sat nav was taking us back by the B roads.

Mr Sajid said: “The weather was nice that day and because it was so nice, Pishtuan (the name Mr Sajid called Mr Rasoul) decided he wanted to go for a walk.”

So the three men stopped and parked on the road next to Ponden Reservoir.

“We went through a gate and into a field and I noticed Pishtuan was getting undressed.

“He was the only one of us who jumped into the water. He was swimming and got halfway across.

“I was concerned for him and he was struggling to turn around. He called out for help in Kurdish (his native language).

“His head was bobbing up and down in the water.

“I wanted to help and went walking out into the water but it was too cold.”

The two men asked for help from a passerby, but the men did not know how they could get him back to shore.

Mr Sajid said: “Then emergency services arrived and everything happened so fast.

“Then we heard that the police had found Pishtuan’s body.”

A statement by Tiffany Butler, from the Keighley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We got a call at 5.48pm from the ambulance service that a man had gone under the water and not been seen.

“When we arrived, there were had several members of the public gathered on the shoreline.

“His brother Jiluan Rasoul had described Mr Rasould as panting and getting into difficulty, so we escorted the two men from the scene.”

She said that they told her Mr Rasoul was gasping for air and then went under. She added that the men and a passerby on a kayak tried to assist.

In a statement, police sergeant Oliver Cowell-Smith said: “As I arrived, ambulance, fire and police were already on scene.

“We requested a dive team and Yorkshire Water to shut off the turbines.

Small boats were taken out to the location and they found Mr Rasoul’s body in the water.

Sgt Cowell-Smith said “Mr Rasoul wanted a swim and he had suddenly stopped swimming and gone straight down.

“It’s so dangerous to swim in because of the cold water.

“Mr Rasoul made a tragically unwise decision that led to his death.”

Mr Pears began the inquest by reading a statement from Mr Rasoul’s sister, Maria Rasoul.

She said the two grew up together in Iraq but suffered violence and neglect after the loss of their parents. “My uncle brought us to the UK and Alan lived in Blackpool and I in Newcastle.

“He suffered from depression but Alan and I were especially close as siblings. He was always very positive to people. He loved to make them feel happy.”