Council stands firm on Liquid Leisure restrictions

The Royal Borough has said it will continue to limit activities at Liquid Leisure Windsor following the tragic death of a girl last year – despite calls from the water park to fully reopen.

The borough has said restrictions will remain in place until the company ‘has satisfied the council they have suitable and sufficient risk assessments to prevent or reduce the risk of drowning’.

The restrictions were brought in following the death of 11-year-old Kyra Hill on August 6, 2022, after she got into difficulty at the water park in Datchet.

An inquest into her death is expected to get underway later this year. Following her death, Kyra’s father Leonard vowed to ‘uncover the whole truth’ about what happened to her.

In October, Liquid Leisure was allowed to partially reopen for boating activities, including water-skiing.

But bosses at Liquid Leisure are now calling for the venue to fully reopen, saying they fear hundreds of job losses and arguing there has been a full review of its water-based activities.

But the council says it is ‘considering the next steps’ following an investigation into any potential health and safety breaches.

Gary Sawyer, commercial manager at Liquid Leisure, said the venue had hoped to fully reopen and operate its aqua inflatable park and open water swimming activities in April.

Bosses say the situation is creating job uncertainty and left the venue facing six-figure losses this year.

The commercial manager said: “At this moment in time we don’t know what we’re doing with staff. Staff are asking us everyday ‘have I got a job?’ We don’t really know what to tell them.

“We thought we were going to be able to reopen.”

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Mr Sawyer said many of the water park’s staff are based in Datchet and rely on the facility for employment due to lack of access to cars.

He added: “The impact of what’s going on at the moment will probably see the loss of up to 250 local jobs.

“We estimate it could be around £2.5million lost from the economy wages wise. Local suppliers could look to lose about £0.5million in orders if we can’t continue.”

Liquid Leisure has been operating since 2002.

The venue says it brought in external consultants in the aftermath of Kyra’s death to complete a full review of its water-based activities.

A spokesman for Windsor and Maidenhead council said a prohibition notice preventing all water-based activities remains in place, except for certain boating activities.

A statement added: “The notice continues to prohibit the use of the venue’s beach area, and will remain in place until such time as Liquid Leisure has satisfied the council they have suitable and sufficient risk assessments to prevent or reduce the risk of drowning.

“The council has carried out a health and safety investigation into the tragic incident at Liquid Leisure to determine any potential breaches under relevant health and safety legislation, and is considering the next steps.

“We would again like to express our deepest condolences to Kyra’s family, who have been kept updated with progress.”