MP calls for urgent river safety measures

An MP has called for urgent safety measures at York's River Ouse following a series of incidents on one of its bridges.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said she was "frustrated" over the slow pace of improving safety along the waterway, which runs through the city centre.

It comes after Ouse Bridge was closed twice within three days due to emergencies at the start of the month.

The politician called for improved lighting and more CCTV along the riverside.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, police officers, firefighters and paramedics were called to the bridge at 20:00 BST on 3 October, to reports of a teenage girl on the wrong side of the wall.

She later received welfare support after the incident.

The bridge closed again two days later after emergency services received reports of a 14-year-old girl who had climbed over the barrier above the Ouse in an unrelated incident.

She was later arrested on suspicion of carrying a bladed article and has since been released on conditional bail.

Maskell's call to improve safety on the River Ouse also comes three years after the death of 16-year-old Leah Bedford.

The Acomb teenager's body was recovered from the river near Terry Avenue in September 2023 and a coroner was later unable to establish the cause of her death.

The York Central MP worked with the 16-year-old's family on a petition presented to Parliament which called for more CCTV cameras to be installed along the riverside.

Maskell said agencies working together in the York River Safety Group, particularly rescue boat volunteers, had given so many hours to respond to incidents and offer safeguarding.

She said people should stay safe when around the river and look out for one another to avoid another life being cut short.

The MP said: "Every tragic loss of life on the River Ouse is always a painful reminder of the suffering this causes to family and friends of the deceased.

"There is a constant need to improve and promote river safety in our city.

"My frustration is that no matter how many times I have raised the issues of poor lighting, lack of CCTV and urgent need to improve infrastructure, agencies are slow to invest so we continue in a cycle of inertia, when action could save lives.

"We need agencies to see the urgency in improving safety, before another life is lost."

She said the new LED lighting made it harder to see people by the river and changing it could "rapidly improve surveillance".

City of York Council declined to comment due to ongoing criminal proceedings in connection with the incident on 5 October.

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