The parents of an 18-month-old girl have been blamed for failing to properly guard her as her pushchair plunged into a boating lake.

Jemma Lecuyer almost drowned at the same spot where two-year-old Alexander Clark died after falling into the water a year ago, raising questions over the safety of the lake for a second time.

Arun District Council has now put up signs warning parents of the danger after Jemma, who was strapped inside her buggy, hurtled into Mewsbrook Park lake in Littlehampton, as her horrified parents, Daniel and Joanna, looked on.

The shocked couple, who went to the lake on Sunday to feed the ducks with Jemma and their four-year-old son Samuel, have since called on the district council to make the lake safer.

But a council spokesman said: "I hope this will be a wake-up call for parents out there. It's very easy to blame the council all the time."

A statement released by the council said: "This unfortunate accident occurred because an 18-month-old was left strapped into a pushchair in the charge of her parents unattended at the top of a sloping grass bank leading down to the water.

"The pushchair rolled down a grass bank before tipping into the water at the lake's edge."

Mr Lecuyer, of Meadow Way, Littlehampton, sprang into action when he saw his daughter in the lake and managed to drag the pushchair out by the only wheel visible above the water.

Jemma was underwater for about six seconds.

Mr Lecuyer said: "What happened could have been a lot worse but we're very upset by it.

"I think the council is trying to shirk responsibility. They are inviting parents and children into dangerous areas.

"I accept it's something to do with parents but those areas need to be safe for the public and at the moment they are not."

Ten large yellow and black signs reading "Danger - open water - please take care of your children" have been put up around the 450m perimeter of the lake.

A 1.5ft-high wooden rail will be put up around the perimeter on Monday and other planned safety measures have been brought forward.