Broads boat operators take heed of report findings into woman's death

  • Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell

Hire boat operators on the Broads say they will do everything they can to keep people safe following an interim report into the death of a holiday maker last year.

Laura Perry was visiting the area with her family when she fell overboard into the River Bure at Great Yarmouth.

Laura Perry died last year after falling from a hire boat while trying to turn it around at Great Yarmouth. Credit: Supplied

An interim report into her death found when she fell she got caught in the propellor. She was 38.

The incident prompted the chief inspector of marine accidents to call for safety improvements in the hire boat industry.

One operator, Greg Munford, who's Chief Executive of Richardsons, says safety was the top priority and most firms had made improvements.

"I think the main, main thing of our business is for people to have a safe, fun stay."

"We'll have seen over 30 thousand people this summer and actually registered incidents we've had has been 11. They were mainly bumps and scrapes - we had one fracture."

Greg Munford from Richardsons Leisure says the main thing operators want is for customers to be safe Credit: ITV Anglia

Richardson's, like many companies had safety videos that customers are sent before they go boating and then they have to complete a 45 minute trial run so that people can get familiar with the controls.

The Broads Authority's had more rangers on the water this year issuing speeding tickets and safety advice, which had been a move supported by the boating companies.