Reservoir flood filmed before boy's cave death

A FENCING contractor has described how he filmed water pouring over the spillways of a Yorkshire reservoir because it looked spectacular, hours before a boy drowned on a school trip downriver when a cave passage flooded.

Victim Joe Lister, 14, a pupil at Tadcaster Grammar School died on November 14, 2005, when water rose in the Manchester Hole cave he was visiting with 10 other teenagers.

Christopher Copeland told a jury at Leeds Crown Court yesterday how he and his brother were driving to the Scar House Reservoir around 9am near where they were then working, when he saw the waves of water being blown over into the River Nidd and decided to stop and record it on his mobile phone.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They had already had to change down a gear on the way to the reservoir in their Land Rover because the wind and conditions were "pretty bad".

Mr Copeland told the court: "I wanted to show people, family and the like, what the conditions were like that we were working with.

"It was quite a spectacular sight with the water being blown through the overflow. It wasn't just blowing over that, it was in the air as well, spray was blowing everywhere."

The jury trying North Yorkshire County Council on two charges under the Health and Safety Act, was shown the footage from his phone.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Under cross-examination by Robert Smith QC, defending, Mr Copeland said he had seen similar conditions the previous week but it was not quite so bad.

He told Tim Horlock QC, prosecuting, that once he and his brother began work they were in a more sheltered area but a man working with them had almost lost his dog when it was playing on the edge of the river and got swept away. "If he hadn't seen it happen and got it he would have lost it."

North Yorkshire County Council, which owns and operates the Bewley Park Outdoor Education Centre near Pateley Bridge from which the school trip was run, denies failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees and the non-employees who were taking part in the caving activity.

Two teenagers who took part in the trip described how they were "petrified" when they found water levels had risen in the Manchester Hole cave because they had to swim underwater to get back through the "Crawl" passageway.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Amy Ryder, now a 19-year-old university student, said the water was choppy and cold when they first entered the cave but was not that deep.

She said they did not check equipment before going in and some of the head torches they were wearing did not seem as bright as others. She thought hers was fading by the time she left.

They had to crawl through the passageway on the way in and it was only when they were on the other side for some minutes they noticed the water levels rising but there did not seem any urgency about going back.

It was only when they got back to the passageway that they found the water was almost to the top of the entrance and instructor Tony Boyle told them they had to get out.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said she was "scared, petrified" and people were panicking. She tried to go through the passageway but had to turn back as there were already people in the air space in the middle when she got to it.

Joe Lister was immediately behind her and he too turned back.

Miss Ryder said she then went through again after a teenage volunteer, Jenny Wheelhouse, offered to hold her hand. She believed Joe had already gone in front of her and that she was the last to leave.

She said it was only when the numbers were checked on the other side it was realised Joe was not there but it was decided they should leave and call for help.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Another pupil, William Tomlinson, then 15, said "everyone went into shock when we got to the tunnel and noticed it was flooded".

He said he was "scared, petrified, freezing", adding: It was the coldest water I'd ever been in. As soon as you went under you lost your breath."

When he swam through he thought his friend Joe was following

immediately behind.

The trial continues.