A water park where an 11-year-old girl died has been prevented from reopening by its local council on health and safety grounds.
Liquid Leisure has been told it must show it has reduced the risk of drowning before business can resume, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said.
“We have served a notice prohibiting all recreational activities associated with the lake until Liquid Leisure has satisfied the council they have suitable and sufficient risk assessments to prevent or reduce the risk of drowning,” a council spokesman said.
Emergency services were called to the park near Datchet on 6 August after the child was reported missing.
Around two hours later, she was found and taken to Wexham Park Hospital, where she died.
Thames Valley Police has said the girl’s death is not being treated as suspicious but as unexplained and a file was being prepared for the coroner.
The aqua assault course had remained closed “out of respect” for the youngster’s family until the start of this week, Liquid Leisure said.
Ryan Giggs trial: ‘Distressed’ footballer went in slippers to neighbour for help on night he ‘headbutted’ ex, court hears
Sir Keir Starmer insists Labour’s ‘radical’ energy plan is ‘real answer’ to cost of living crisis
Heathrow Airport extends flight restrictions until end of October
However, it has been told that it cannot reopen yet.
The council launched a health and safety investigation on 9 August “to determine any potential breaches under relevant health and safety legislation”.
Last week, Liquid Leisure said its “thoughts and prayers” were with the child’s family, friends and all those affected by the “desperately tragic and upsetting incident”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A witness told Sky News said there was “chaos” at the park after the girl’s disappearance.
“There was a ridiculous amount of people on the inflatables,” the woman, who did not want to be named, said.
“It was just chaos, people were falling in and jumping off, it would have been hard to keep track of.”
She added that there was a young girl “running up and down asking if anyone had goggles, shouting ‘we need to look for her under the water'”.
She criticised the park, saying there was “no emergency plan” and staff “did not have any tannoy system or any alarm”.
