A coroner is calling for action to prevent future deaths after a boy drowned when he fell from a rope swing into the lake below.

Kyron Hibbert, aged 13, had been playing with friends at Stewartby Lake near Marstone Moretaine in Bedfordshire during a heatwave on July 29 last year when tragedy struck.

At around 6.30pm, Kyron, who could not swim, decided to have a turn on a rope swing that was attached to a tree at the lakeside and which the others had been using to enter the water.

After being swung over the water for a second time, he released hold of the rope and entered the water.

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He immediately struggled to find his footing or tread water, and his friends were unable to take hold of him. Tragically, Kyron drowned. 

Bedfordshire's senior coroner, Emma Whitting, said her investigation into Kyron's death "revealed matters giving rise to concern", and that "there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken".

She said the Forest of Marston Vale Trust, which manages and maintains the area, had stated at the inquest that since Kyron’s death they had taken no further action to address the risks of children drowning at Stewartby Lake.

Video footage taken by the children on the day of the incident shows them standing on a ledge around the edge of the lake, with the water at waist height. This ledge, however, drops away suddenly into deep water which is believed to be 13 metres deep.

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"There are varying depths of water but - other than the general ‘no swimming’ safety boards - there was no indication of these relative depths provided to visitors," Ms Whitting said, also noting that rangers' checks are not increased around the lake during hot weather.

At the time of the incident, life-saving equipment was limited to a throwline in a locked box which required a code from emergency services to release it, the coroner said.

"The head ranger explained that the previous life safety rings - costing approximately £40 each - had not been replaced once the locked throw lines had been installed," Ms Whitting said.

"The locked throw line was not accessible to the children. When they had gone to access it, they couldn’t get the code as their phone battery had died. They reported that the box 'felt very far away from where we were down at the water.'                 

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"Although since the inquest, the trust has indicated that in addition to the locked throw lines on the safety boards, traditional safety lines are also to be installed again, I am concerned these are to be placed next to the safety boards, rather than closer to the lakeside. Whilst prompt access to further life-saving equipment may not have altered the outcome in this incident, it might in future incidents."

Addressing the Forest of Marston Vale Trust, she said: "In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action."

Ms Whitting has directed the trust to respond by April 24, detailing action taken or proposed to be taken.

A spokesperson for the Forest of Marston Vale Trust told the Comet: "The trust has received the coroner’s report and is currently reviewing it.

"All points are being considered and the trust will respond to the coroner in due course, after which time our response will be made available publicly."