You are putting your life at risk: Nanaimo RCMP to skaters

Stay off the ice. It's not safe.

That's the message from Nanaimo RCMP after pictures of skaters on Westwood and Long Lake showed up on social media.

Constable Gary O'Brien saidskating on the lakes is not worth the risk.

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"If they fall into trouble it's a serious life-and-death situation," O'Brien said.

"You need at least 15 centimetres thick of ice. And it has to be there at least seven days and we haven't had that."

O'Brien saidit isn't illegal to venture onto the lakes, but in case of an emergency, the lives of rescuers will also be put at risk.

Firefighters are currently monitoring the lakes and asking any skaters to leave.

Open water at the far end of the lake

Al Britton, the manager of parks operations for Nanaimo, said the cityhas posted signs statingit is not safe to go on the ice.

"If you go to Westwood Lake and it seems to be all right around the shoreline, you can still see open water at the far end of the lake. That tells me that there is very thin ice out there."

Britton saidthey were hoping to do some measurements of the ice this week, but this isn't anissue they've had to worry about for years.

District ofSaanich officials are also urging residents to avoid the temptation to head out onto frozen lakes and ponds because of the difficulty in judging if the ice is safe to walk on.

This week skaters converged on PanamaFlats, a large flood plain owned by Saanich.

Outdoor enthusiasts on the mainland are in better luck as the Vancouver Park Board saysTrout Lake is now safe for skating.