Owner of deadly quarry where teens drowned tells court of his plans for site

The owner of a deadly quarry where three children have drowned has spoken of his plans for the site in court. The pre-inquest review for Jamie Lewin, 16, from Southport[1] took place at Preston Coroners Court on Tuesday, December 5. The teen went to East Quarry in Appley Bridge with four friends on a hot day last summer.

He died on July 9, 2022, after getting into difficulty while swimming in the water-filled quarry despite his friends trying to save him. Jamie was the third person to die in the water at the Lancashire quarry, following teenagers Miracle Godson in 2015 and Craig Croston in 1999, leading to calls for action to be taken to prevent future fatalities, LancsLive reports[2].

At the pre-inquest review the owner of the quarry, property developer Peter O'Dowd, said he had hoped to fill in the site since purchasing it several years ago.

At the hearing Mr O'Dowd passed on his condolences to Jamie's mum, Stephanie Lewin, and revealed he too had suffered the tragic loss of a child. He said: "I lost a 12-year-old daughter myself in a terrible accident." He also described to the court how hard it is to stop youngsters from sneaking onto the site.

He said: "Since 2019 I have been trying to drain [the quarry]. Kids break in; sometimes it's in the hundreds. "In my opinion, and I've said this a number of times, you can't blame anyone for wanting to go in there.

It's like putting a lollipop in front of a child and telling them not to lick it." Mr O'Dowd added he hoped to drain the quarry to a depth of one metre to reduce the likelihood of anyone drowning. However that would then leave an open quarry sided by "cliffs" which could be equally dangerous.

Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley said: "I have views on quarries that are just drained. There is always water in the bottom and I have previous experience of fatalities in quarries which have been drained." A final inquest had been due to take place on January 5.

However, given the need for further investigations to be carried out into current planning applications, it is now expected to take place later in 2024.

After Jamie's death his mum Stephanie issued a tribute through Lancashire Constabulary. She said: "Jamie was a promising boxer who loved life and had so much to look forward to. He was so loved by everyone.

He touched so many peoples' lives in such a short time, he really did spread himself far. "He really was one in a million. I'm so happy I was his mum.

He was only 16 and so full of life and so happy." The website of Worcestershire-based Maybrook Investments, run by Mr O'Dowd, reveals planning permission for a complex of floating houses, apartments, hotel and leisure facilities at East Quarry has previously been granted. However he has reportedly so far been prevented from draining the quarry due to not being able to obtain permission to install an access road to the site.

The website states: "Since ownership Maybrook have focused their efforts on getting the quarry drained. There have been [three] fatalities and a number of serious injuries in the quarry as well as attracting trespassers. "Once drained Maybrook plan to fill the quarry with inert materials delivered either by rail (preferred) or road in order to create a suitable substrata for further development."

In 2020, Mr O'Dowd told LancsLive he could drain the quarry in just 12 weeks. But the ability to do this was thwarted by the refusal of planning permission for a new access road a year later. He said at the time: "We remain committed to doing everything that we can to accelerate the draining of the quarry.

By removing the water we eliminate both the risk to life and the attractiveness of the area to the crowds of young people that have been breaking into the site. "In the meantime we will continue to maintain the perimeter fencing and work with the police in whatever way we can." Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here[5]

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References

1. ^ Southport (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
2. ^ LancsLive reports (www.lancs.live)
3. ^ Brianna Ghey live court updates as murder trial continues (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
4. ^ DWP gives five-day warning for people to claim GBP300 in extra cash (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
5. ^ Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
6. ^ Win a GBP250 Buyagift voucher and make treasured memories this Christmas (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)