Alex Crook

Chief Executive, Wigan Council 
Place Lead for Health and Care Integration – Wigan 

Wigan Town Hall, Library Street 
Wigan, WN1 1YN 
Tel:  01942 827148 
Email:  
www.wigan.gov.uk 

Our reference:  

26th March 2025 

Please Quote Our Reference on ALL Correspondence 

This document can be made available in other languages, on audio tape, CD, large 
print or other formats on request. 

Professor J Pollard 
HM Assistant Coroner 
Greater Manchester West 
Paderborn House 
Bolton 
BL1 1QY 

Dear Coroner 

Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths - Alex Edward CROOK who died on 
7th September 2024 

Thank you for your Report to Prevent Future Deaths (hereafter “Report”) dated 30th 
January 2025 concerning the death of Alex Edward Crook on 7th September 2024.  In 
advance of responding to the specific concerns raised in your Report, I would like to 
express my deepest condolences to Alex’s family and loved ones.  Wigan Council are 
keen to assure the family and the coroner that the concerns raised about signage and 
rescue equipment at Scotman’s Flash have been listened to and reflected upon. 

Your Report raises concerns about the following: 

1. 

2. 

Alex did not have statutory swimming lessons at key stage 1 or 2 and three schools 
in the Wigan area are still in breach of their statutory duty to deliver such lessons. 
Signs have been erected as recently as 29th January 2025 at Scotman’s Flash, yet 
these do not contain the words ‘no unauthorised swimming’.  It was agreed in 
evidence that if such signs were erected expeditiously close to the obvious entry 
points to the water, it may deter such use. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 3. 

It was established in evidence that throwlines are the most effective life-saving 
equipment.  It was noted that the proposal was to locate these away from obvious 
entry points.  This would seem to be likely to make them less effective than if they 
were sited at the more obvious entry points.  The need for such equipment, as with 
the signage is urgent. 

Response to concerns raised in the Report 

The Greater Manchester Water Safety Strategic Partnership is a collaborative, multi-
agency project set up in response to the rising number of drowning fatalities in Greater 
Manchester.  In 2021 and 2022 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (‘GMFRS’) 
attended more fatal water incidents than fatal fire incidents.  The partnership involves 
stakeholders from all Greater Manchester boroughs and includes local authorities, 
Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service, local landowners, GMFRS as 
well as representatives from key national organisations such as the Royal Society for 
Prevention of Accidents, Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Canal and River 
Trust.  The partnership’s aim is to reduce the number of drowning incidents in Greater 
Manchester, the partnership has established a consistent approach and structure across 
all ten of the Greater Manchester Boroughs.  The objective is to share best practice and 
expertise to ensure that a consistent message is delivered across the Manchester City 
region.  There is a Water Safety partnership in all ten Greater Manchester boroughs, the 
local partnerships make local decisions on water safety, based on local knowledge of 
local water risk locations.  The Wigan Water Safety Partnership (‘WWSP’) was 
established in 2021.  

The WWSP met on 27th February 2025 and one of the actions from this meeting was 
that a letter was to be sent to all local authority aided primary schools in the Wigan 
borough in respect of the provision of swimming lessons.  The duty to provide 
swimming lessons in primary schools as part of the National Curriculum is imposed on 
schools.  Academies are not required to follow the National Curriculum, so therefore are 
not under a duty to provide swimming lessons.  Local authorities are under a duty to 
promote high standards of education but the responsibility to ensure that the National 
Curriculum is provided lies with the individual schools.  I can confirm that the Local 
Authority has written to all local authority aided schools within the Wigan Borough to 
remind them of the school’s obligations, as part of the National Curriculum, to provide 
swimming lessons for pupils.  The correspondence outlined that this can be undertaken 
at Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2 and aims to ensure that children can swim 25 metres, 
children can use a range of different swimming strokes efficiently and children can 
perform safe self-rescue.  Schools receive funding as part of their PE funding to provide 
swimming lessons.  It has been stressed within the correspondence that swimming 
lessons are a mandatory part of the curriculum.  

I can confirm that the three schools in the Wigan area that had not provided swimming 
lessons at the time of the inquest have now all engaged and have booked swimming 
lessons.  Furthermore, Mabs Cross Primary School, which is the primary school Alex 
attended have engaged in school swimming lessons with the Council for over 20 years 
and Alex’s class did engage in lessons when Alex was a pupil at the school.  The WWSP 
also agreed an action to identify further support for swimming lessons for schools and 
young people.  Common barriers to accessing swimming lessons tend to include class 
sizes, lack of year 6 mop up sessions, parental consent needed for attendance, transport 
costs and funding for high school swimming lessons, all of which are being considered 
by the WWSP in respect of a potential local pilot for free swimming lessons for young 
people within the borough.  

Following the meeting of WWSP on 27th February 2025, a site visit was undertaken at 
Scotman’s Flash on Friday 28th February 2025, representatives from Wigan Council, 
Greater Manchester Police, GMFRS and the Canal and River Trust were in attendance. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Following the site inspection, all organisations present endorsed the Council’s decision 
(based on its latest risk assessment dated 6th December 2024) that the site should have 
five safety signs and three throwline boards.  The Chair of the Greater Manchester Water 
Safety Strategic Partnership, who is also a Water Safety Development Officer attended 
the site inspection and was of the view that the proposals for Scotman’s Flash are 
proportionate and sufficient for a water risk location of the size and type as seen at 
Scotman’s Flash.  There are only two locations in Greater Manchester with a higher 
density of water safety infrastructure, which are the Rochdale Canal in Manchester City 
centre and Salford Quays.  Both locations have had many more fatal and non-fatal water 
incidents and have a much higher level of public access.  

In respect of the signage, five signs have now been installed at Scotman’s Flash, which 
clearly and visibly warn the public of the dangers of deep water and cold-water shock. 
All viable approaches to Scotman’s Flash have now been covered by appropriate 
signage, these signs are much larger than previous signs. It was also agreed during the 
site inspection that supplementary prohibition signage including the wording “No 
unauthorised swimming or boating” will be added to the current signs.  The prohibition 
signage has been produced and installed at Scotman’s Flash. 

The location of throwlines was also considered at the site inspection on 28th February 
2025.  Throwlines are the most appropriate rescue equipment to install at the site, life 
buoys were considered, however this rescue equipment is best for fast flowing waters, 
which is not the case at Scotman’s Flash, rescue poles are partially exposed and 
therefore more vulnerable to vandalism.  The plan below outlines the proposed location 
of the throwlines as of 28th February 2025. 

It was agreed during the site inspection to amend the above plan to locate throwline “C” 
100 metres further north, to better align it with likely swimming locations. It was 
acknowledged by the organisations present that Public Rescue Equipment (‘PRE’) is not 
a universal solution and cannot guarantee avoiding fatalities (only staying out of the 
water can avoid potential fatalities).  For PRE to be useful the following must occur: 

• 
• 
• 

The victim must be seen 
They must remain afloat until rescue takes place 
Appropriate rescue equipment must be to hand, and in operational condition 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 

• 
• 
• 

An assessment of the area and its users should provide the basis for the use of PRE 
at any given site  
The other important criteria for siting PRE is a wider education strategy 
The rescuer must have the ability to effect the rescue 
The victim must be able to co-operate, i.e. grasp a rescue device. 

An order has been placed for the throwlines and once received they will be installed at 
Scotman’s Flash. 

I would also like to provide further assurances on the work that Wigan Council and the 
WWSP are undertaking around the Report to Prevent Future Deaths.  Any Reports 
received where a death has occurred in/around an open body of water within the Wigan 
Borough will be taken to and discussed at the Water Safety Partnership meetings.  This 
ensures that key learning and insights around events, such as the sad death of Alex, are 
shared across all agencies involved in the management and safety of open bodies of 
water and helps us to pay close attention to any emerging trends that may require 
further review and action.  I can confirm that a risk review process with action plans is 
also being undertaken for Council water bodies across the Wigan borough, the level of 
works proposed will be dependent on the level of risk identified at each site.  These risk 
assessments will be further quality reviewed by an expert GMFRS officer.  Risk 
assessments, public engagement and education activities will continue to be 
considered by the WWSP.  WWSP is due to meet again on 19th May 2025. 

Thank you for bringing these important issues to the Council’s attention and please do 
not hesitate to contact me should you need any further information. 

Yours sincerely 

Chief Executive, Wigan Council 
Place Lead for Health and Care Integration – Wigan