A side effect of the brickmaking was a number of large pits, which were often filled with water. These were both dangerous and unpleasant. In 1871 Henry Spriggs, a bricklayer’s labourer suggested to a friend that they had a bathe. To save money Henry proposed that they went swimming in a pond on the Heath adjoining Arnold’s brickworks. Unfortunately Henry got out of his depth and drowned. At the inquest it emerged that at the time of a previous drowning the water had been shown to be 18 feet deep and it was suggested that as boys often bathed there the dangerous parts should be fenced.

In August 1889 a ten year old boy called W. Dumbleton went to bathe with some friends in the flooded pit behind the cricket pavilion when the bank gave way. He was lucky to be saved by Mr. J. Rogers, assistant master at Christchurch School. Five year old Leonard Margrave was less lucky and in 1890 was drowned in one of Mr Dickson’s claypits. In June 1893 two boys were rescued from drowning in a 20 foot deep pit between Culver Road and St John’s Road (later renamed Heath Road) while in August 1905 2½ year old Sydney Page fell in a pit near Heath Farm and drowned.