Water safety to be discussed in Senedd after Ruthin teen drowned in reservoir

Senedd Members will today discuss a call to change the law from the family of a young man from Ruthin who drowned after jumping into a reservoir. 

Mark Allen was just 18 when he died in June 2018 after getting into difficulties in the freezing water at Gorton Reservoir in Manchester. 

His family believes he could have been saved if a throw-line had been available. 

Mark's mum Leeanne Bartley started a petition to make it the law that throw-lines are put in place at all open water sites in Wales. 

The petition currently has more than 11,000 signatures 

As it has more than 10,000 signatures it will be debated on the floor of the Senedd in a debate led by the Petitions Committee chair, Jack Sargeant MS.  

The Welsh Government has already accepted five of the report's six recommendations.

Leeanne Bartely will be in the Senedd to watch today's debate and, speaking ahead of it, said "We are incredibly pleased with Welsh Government's response to the report prompted by our petition - "Mark Allen's Law - water safety and drowning prevention".

"We are so grateful to the Petitions Committee for all of their work and we as a family think that this could be a real positive step for water safety and drowning prevention in Wales."

Chair of the Senedd Petitions Committee, Jack Sargeant MS said:

"It is gratifying to see this progress come from the efforts of Leeanne and other water safety campaigners in Wales.

"The work they do is already saving lives, but with the recommendations from our report and clear leadership and coordination from Welsh Government, their campaigns will reach even more people and ultimately prevent deaths."