Windsor Water park where 11-year-old girl drowned on inflatable assault course will NOT reopen yet 

The Windsor water park where an 11-year-old girl died on a Total Wipeout-style inflatable assault course will not be allowed to reopen until it shows it has reduced the risk of drowning. 

Kyra Hill drowned on August 6 at a birthday party at Liquid Leisure water park.  

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said Liquid Leisure, near Datchet, must show it has reduced the risk of drowning before business can resume.

Parents and staff started screaming Kyra’s name across the water park as around 40 adults dived into the lake and lifeguards were forced to ask guests to lend them goggles to search under the inflatables. 

Emergency services were called to Liquid Leisure at 3.55pm on August 6 after the youngster was reported missing. 

She was found two hours she was reported missing at just after 5.10pm and rushed to Wexham Park Hospital, where she died.

Thames Valley Police said the girl’s death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, and a file was being prepared for the coroner.

Liquid Leisure said the aqua assault course would remain closed ‘out of respect’ for the girl’s family until the start of this week, but has been told by the local authority that it cannot reopen yet.

The council launched a health and safety investigation on August 9 ‘to determine any potential breaches under relevant health and safety legislation’ and has refused to let the water park reopen this week.

A spokesman said on Monday: ‘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.

‘We would again like to express our deepest condolences to the girl’s family and friends.’

In a statement last week, the company said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and all those affected by this desperately tragic and upsetting incident.

‘As Thames Valley Police are in the early stages of investigation, it would not be right for us to add further comment, but we will continue to fully support and assist them throughout the process.’

More than 20 floral tributes with cards that read ‘To a beautiful little girl’ and ‘RIP Little Angel’ were laid at the entrance to the park after news of Kyra’s death.

A 12-year-old classmate said: ‘Kyra was so kind. She was really smart, she was at the top of all our classes. She liked to make people smile, she cared about people.’

The classmate played football with keen footballer Kyra, a Manchester United fan, for Coombe Wood School in Croydon.

It is understood the mother of the birthday girl checked with all the parents that their children could swim before inviting them. Liquid Leisure says it requires everyone to confirm that they are strong swimmers and provides life jackets for inflatables.

Meanwhile, witnesses recalled how the water park was thrown into ‘chaos’ on Saturday after the 11-year-old girl was reported missing. 

A 41-year-old woman from South Buckinghamshire, who did not want to be named, was at the ‘busy’ water park with her teenage daughter, having been several times before. 

The woman said the situation was ‘an absolute tragedy’ for the family and friends of the girl while she and others at the park felt ‘shock’ and ‘helplessness’ at the scene. 

She said: ‘My teenage daughter and her friend got in the water at 3pm for their session. I went off to get a drink and something to eat and then about 3.20pm asked another mum already occupying a bench if I could join her. 

‘I started to try and make my daughter out because she was wearing a wetsuit and not many were, but because of the sheer numbers it was impossible so I just started to watch others. 

‘I quickly noticed not everyone was wearing life jackets and I saw a young female lifeguard closest to where we were sat not paying attention and staring across the open water rather than the people she was meant to be looking at.’

The woman said she began to feel ‘uneasy’ about the ratio of lifeguards to visitors, but added: ‘I reasoned with myself that my daughter and friend had their life jackets on and the session would soon be over.’ 

She said soon afterwards, a lifeguard began to shout and told them to get off the inflatable course. 

She continued: ‘We then realised a child was missing as two frantic women ran past screaming the child’s name.  There seem to be no plan of action with the LL staff. A few lifeguards jumped into the water and started searching in what appeared to be a very non-methodical way. 

‘Another member of staff started asking other members of staff if they were life guard trained. No one appeared to be in charge and there was no co-ordination in managing the situation. 

‘For the adults and children left on the riverside we didn’t know what to do, there was no communication and no evacuation procedure. 

‘There is one small entrance and exit at LL and the emergency services arrived quickly and in huge numbers, they couldn’t have done more.  But because we weren’t told what to do and didn’t want to block their efforts of coming in to the park we just stood by and witnessed the search and rescue divers looking in the water. 

‘Afterwards my daughter commented that she didn’t feel safe on the inflatable, there were areas which had deflated and gaps between obstacles which anyone could have easily slipped down leaving them underneath the inflatable.’

In an update on August 9, Thames Valley Police said the incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

The force said that officers are working with the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead council as they conduct an investigation over whether there were any health and safety breaches.

The owners of the water park could face a hefty fine or even be closed if they are found to have breached numerous safety rules.

Stuart Marston, managing director of Liquid Leisure and a former British and European water-ski champion, denied that there were not enough lifeguards and their response was inadequate. He told The Times: ‘It’s still under investigation. The lifeguards were straight there.’  

Mr Marston, who lives about three miles away from the waterpark in a detached house in Windsor, is the sole director of the company Liquid Leisure, which was formed in 2002, according to records at Companies House. He was not available for further comment when approached by MailOnline.

It comes after Windsor and Maidenhead Council said it had issued the business with an enforcement notice in December 2020 after it expanded the site without planning permission. 

Liquid Leisure has been approached for comment.