Inquiry to be held into death of boy, 7, in floods

An inquiry is to be held into the death of a seven-year-old boy in severe floods in Surrey.

The government announced the non-statutory inquiry following years of campaigning from the family of Zane Gbangbola, who died after the River Thames flooded his home in Chertsey in 2014.

His parents disputed the results of a 2016 inquest that he died of carbon monoxide poisoning and said that their son was killed by gas washed out from a former landfill site.

The inquiry, announced by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, will consider the circumstances around his death and investigate how public services worked together during the incident.

It will also consider the treatment of his family in the aftermath, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

Zane's parents previously delivered a message to Downing Street calling for an independent inquiry on what would have been his 18th birthday.

"We have campaigned tirelessly for truth since Zane's death and welcome the keeping of Sir Keir's promise of justice for seven-year-old Zane," his parents said.

"We will never win. Zane will never win. He has been taken from us. But today we pray that this is a step closer to exposing the lies that dishonour our precious son, securing the truth and preventing further deaths."

A non-statutory inquiry does not have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.

The inquiry has been announced after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Defra ministers met with Zane's family to listen to their concerns.

The prime minister said: "When I met Zane's family, I was deeply moved by their strength, dignity and determination after more than a decade of unimaginable grief.

"No family should feel that their questions have gone unanswered or that they are in a battle with the very services that should be there to support them.

"This inquiry will ensure their concerns are properly examined, provide an understanding of what happened, and identify the changes needed to prevent others facing the same experience."

Dr Sandie Okoro OBE has been appointed to chair the inquiry. She will act independently from the government and will have access to subject matter and technical experts throughout the inquiry.

"I intend to engage with Zane's family and other key stakeholders on the draft terms of reference in the coming weeks, with a view to commencing a rigorous and fair inquiry into the circumstances of Zane's death this autumn," she said.

Reynolds added: "The non-statutory inquiry we're setting up will investigate what happened and ensure lessons are learnt from this tragedy."

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