Recurring concern

Inadequate safety controls for watercraft encounters with stoppers

First to latest report 2 Oct 2014 — 1 Oct 2015

Reports that mention this concern
2
Times this concern has been raised
2
Stated actions linked to this concern
0

What this concern includes

Includes deficiencies in launch, route, channel, weir or other controls specifically intended to prevent, detect or respond to watercraft encounters with stoppers or towbacks.

What is not included
  • Excludes generic watercraft, rafting, canoeing or boating safety concerns that are not specifically tied to a stopper or towback hazard.
  • Excludes unrelated launch or passage failures involving different hazards, such as communication, staffing, training or weather, unless they are specifically dedicated to controlling stopper encounters.
  • Excludes general weir design or waterway access issues that do not concern safe control of stopper encounters.

Reports and published responses 2 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire

    AI-generated summary

    John Lomas · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    John Lomas, a serving soldier, died after a white water rafting boat capsized shortly after launch on the River Inn on 21 June 2012; he was unable to be resuscitated and was certified dead. Concerns included inadequate liaison and risk assessment, the raft exceeding its permitted capacity for the prevailing conditions, launching too close to a stopper, and the absence of preparatory training, a water confidence test, and a safety kayak.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to maintain a safe launch distance from a stopper

    Wider context from the report

    “4. The raft on which Private Lomas was a passenger was launched too close to a stopper resulting in it capsizing within seconds of launch. ”

    Source location

    John Lomas · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    The hydraulic feature was a standing wave rather than a stopper, and its unusual behaviour could not have been predicted.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “"THE BOAT WAS LAUNCHED TOO CLOSE TO A STOPPER AND CAPSIZED WITHIN SECONDS OF BEING LAUNCHED"”

    Source location

    Response-by-Sport-Camp-Tirol
    Page 4 · response
    Published 1 October 2015

    Open published response

  2. Northumberland (South)

    AI-generated summary

    Darren William Thorpe and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    On 11 May 2014, Darren William Thorpe, Gavin Thomas Bradley and Mark Thorpe entered the River Tyne in a kayak and failed to return; their bodies were later located downstream of Riding Mill weir. The inquest concluded that all three died by drowning in accidental deaths. The substantive concerns related to the weir’s design, the availability of a suitable upstream landing area with warnings, and other steps to prevent similar deaths.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of a canoe and kayak passage channel at the Riding Mill weir

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) Evidence was given that in other countries within Europe, weirs are constructed with a specific channel to allow the passage of canoes and kayaks without encountering the tow back, or stopper, caused by the anti-scour sill at the foot of the weir. Would it be feasible to amend the design of the Riding Mill weir to incorporate such a channel? ”

    Source location

    Darren William Thorpe and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026