Water park where schoolgirl died to shut before the end of the year

The operator of a Datchet water park where an 11-year-old schoolgirl was unlawfully killed has announced it will close at the end of November.

In May, an inquest found that Kyra Hill died as a result of ‘gross breaches’ in health and safety after getting into trouble in the water at Liquid Leisure on August 6, 2022.

Kyra had been playing in a cordoned-off section of the lake called ‘the beach’. It was demarcated for young children – yet it plunged to a depth of 4.67m (15ft) with multiple ‘sharp drops’.

The inquest found there had been ‘numerous serious breaches’ of health and safety.

Questions were raised about the silty, ‘squishy’ surface underfoot in the lake, the concentration of lifeguards compared to swimmers, and the efficacy of procedures when dealing with an emergency.

In particular, the coroner queried the signage, which stipulated ‘shallow water’ but did not warn of ‘deep water’ anywhere.

The owner and director of Liquid Leisure, Stuart Marston, repeatedly stressed that there is no national legislation binding water parks to what signage or other warnings should be in place.

But the coroner, Heidi J Connor, did not accept that an absence of national legislation could absolve Liquid Leisure of responsibility.

The aqua park, in Horton Road, has faced restrictions on what activities it can operate since Kyra's death.

In October 2022, RBWM allowed it to partially reopen for boating activities, keeping the venue’s aqua park and swimming area closed.

Liquid Leisure took the decision 'never to open the beach area again', whatever else might happen.

Despite the result of the inquest, councillors of the Royal Borough ‘reluctantly’ agreed to new planning permissions for the water park in June - which will allow the site to potentially be taken over by another operator.

An enforcement notice was issued against Liquid Leisure in December 2020 over significant additions at the site that were made without the correct planning permissions.

In June this year, the Windsor and Ascot development management committee debated a retrospective planning application for the site, submitted in February 2024.

The plans sought to remedy the breaches in planning permission by reducing water-based activities.

Nonetheless, with Kyra’s inquest fresh in their minds, many councillors worried that there would be nothing to stop the same safety issues from resurfacing again, if they approved the plans.

But council officers reminded the committee that the planning system is ‘applicant blind’ and decisions cannot be based on the perceived failings of an operator.

They said they understood that the applicant is the freehold owner of the site, and Liquid Leisure's lease could expire in February 2026.

Liquid Leisure is now set to close before the year is out, the company has announced.

On Facebook, Mr Marston wrote: “It is with great sorrow [I] announce that Liquid Leisure will be sadly closing after 24 years of trading due to the landlords [being] not willing to renew our lease.”

He thanked customers, competitors and spectators who had come to see its various water sports championship games over the years.

“Also, a massive thank you to all of my staff for making so many customers happy over the years and for making the lake such a friendly place to be,” Mr Marston wrote.

“It’s been a great ride and a great journey.”

The lake will continue to operate as normal until it officially closes to the public on Sunday, November 30 this year.