At a preliminary session of the inquest into drownings on Camber’s beach last year a lawyer representing the families of those who died said the inquest must look into whether Rother District Council (RDC) was to blame for the deaths.
Rother has now agreed to having lifeguards on the beach this year from the late May Bank Holiday through to the end of the school summer holidays. However the coroner wanted an independent report on what safety measures were necessary.
A call was also made by the families’ lawyer for the inquest to be decided by a jury, and not just the coroner, but a decision on that has been deferred. The RDC’s lawyer thought this was not necessary.
Coroner Alan Craze said he needed to look into the history of the beach where there were two drowning incidents last year. The inquest is expected to resume on June 26.
Photo: Rye News library
