Barriers plea after new river death

The most recent appeals for improved riverside safety have come from students and friends of Matthew Wilcox, a Leeds University student whose body was pulled from the Aire in Leeds on Friday.

The geography student was last seen in the early hours of Friday February 26 when he left the Mission nightclub on Lower Briggate.

The renewed campaign follows several deaths on a stretch of the Aire in the centre of Leeds, including that of student Gavin Terry, who died after a night out.

His mother, Philomena Terry, of Baildon, Bradford, began a campaign almost two years ago for barriers to be placed alongside the river.

She renewed her calls yesterday for improved safety, saying it was "high time" that something was done to stop "preventable tragedies". She accused the authorities of "passing the buck".

Calls for safety barriers were yesterday backed by Leeds North MP Greg Mulholland.

The Lib Dem MP has written to the Environment Agency, and also leader of Leeds Council Andrew Carter, calling for the introduction of appropriate barriers as well as a concerted effort between the agency, the council and local businesses to make the river safer.

He said: "Matthew's death is a tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family at this very difficult time.

"As there have been similar tragedies in the past, there is clearly a problem here, so all parties involved have a responsibility to ensure the section of river that runs through the city centre is made safer and do all they can to prevent any other tragedies of this kind." But the Environment Agency said it did not have responsibility for river safety issues.

A spokeswoman for Leeds Council said it would be working with partner agencies to see what could be done to improve safety on the river. "We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Matthew Wilcox during this difficult time and we will work with our partners, British Waterways Board, the police and the private riparian (river bank) owners along that stretch of the river to see whether there is anything we can do to improve the situation. We will also seek the views of the Health and Safety Executive."

Laurence Morgan, of British Waterways (BW), said any barriers would have to be installed by the owner of the land at the edge of the river. "However, we are not passing on the responsibility for this issue. BW regards safety along the waterways as its highest priority, for both the public and staff, and invests considerable sums of money each year to minimise these risks.

"Although fencing off the waterfront may appear to be the favourable solution, there are a number of considerations which need to be taken into account, such as safe access to and from the water for boaters, acceptable access for the emergency services and indeed the safe rescue of those who need help when they find themselves in difficulty.

"To provide a workable solution it needs the cooperation of neighbouring landowners, partners and businesses along the waterfront to look at the root causes of this problem and identify actions that can be carried forward.

"Aire Action Leeds has been, and continues to work in partnership with landowners, waterfront businesses and Leeds statutory organisations to develop a consistent approach to waterfront safety and minimising risk to members of the public."