25 Jan 2022 Anthony David RODÈ · Prevention of Future Deaths report Norfolk
View report summary
Concerns raised 3 Unsafe volunteer grass cutting View source Failure to maintain dune grass so that Coastwatch volunteers retain visibility along the beach View source Failure to establish responsibility for the coastline section View source
Actions described in response An action is something this recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised. 2
Action
Write to and meet shoreline-adjacent organisations and businesses to explain management requirements, permission procedures and collaborative support.
View source
Action
Run a social media campaign promoting the shoreline management plan and discouraging independent activity.
View source
×
AI-generated summary
Anthony David RODÈ · 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
Anthony David RODÈ was a Coastwatch volunteer who fell from a bank onto a concrete path while using his own strimmer to cut overgrown grass on 24 July 2021, sustaining injuries that led to his death. The principal concern was a dispute between Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-On-Sea Parish Council over responsibility for the land, resulting in neither organisation maintaining it and a volunteer undertaking the grass cutting in unsafe circumstances.
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. The report was sent to Caister-on-Sea Parish Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Unsafe volunteer grass cutting
Wider context from the report “1. There is a dispute between Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-On-Sea Parish Council as to who is responsible for the stretch of land where Mr Rodè was strimming the grass.
2. Caister-On-Sea Parish Council state that the bank is part of the sea defences and so is the responsibility of the Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
3. Great Yarmouth Borough Council state the land belongs to the Parish Council and so is their responsibility.
4. As a result, neither organisation has taken responsibility for this section of coastline and the grass on the dunes has grown to such a height as to obscure the view of the Coastwatch volunteers along the beach.
5. Accordingly, the Coastwatch volunteers are unable to properly carry out their role to provide the “eyes and ears” along the coast and to assist in the protection and preservation of life at sea along the coastline. In addition, in this case, it has resulted in a volunteer maker taking the decision to cut the grass himself in circumstances when it was not safe to do so
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Caister-on-Sea Parish Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to maintain dune grass so that Coastwatch volunteers retain visibility along the beach
Wider context from the report “1. There is a dispute between Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-On-Sea Parish Council as to who is responsible for the stretch of land where Mr Rodè was strimming the grass.
2. Caister-On-Sea Parish Council state that the bank is part of the sea defences and so is the responsibility of the Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
3. Great Yarmouth Borough Council state the land belongs to the Parish Council and so is their responsibility.
4. As a result, neither organisation has taken responsibility for this section of coastline and the grass on the dunes has grown to such a height as to obscure the view of the Coastwatch volunteers along the beach .
5. Accordingly, the Coastwatch volunteers are unable to properly carry out their role to provide the “eyes and ears” along the coast and to assist in the protection and preservation of life at sea along the coastline. In addition, in this case, it has resulted in a volunteer maker taking the decision to cut the grass himself in circumstances when it was not safe to do so
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Caister-on-Sea Parish Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to establish responsibility for the coastline section
Wider context from the report “1. There is a dispute between Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-On-Sea Parish Council as to who is responsible for the stretch of land where Mr Rodè was strimming the grass.
2. Caister-On-Sea Parish Council state that the bank is part of the sea defences and so is the responsibility of the Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
3. Great Yarmouth Borough Council state the land belongs to the Parish Council and so is their responsibility.
4. As a result, neither organisation has taken responsibility for this section of coastline and the grass on the dunes has grown to such a height as to obscure the view of the Coastwatch volunteers along the beach.
5. Accordingly, the Coastwatch volunteers are unable to properly carry out their role to provide the “eyes and ears” along the coast and to assist in the protection and preservation of life at sea along the coastline. In addition, in this case, it has resulted in a volunteer maker taking the decision to cut the grass himself in circumstances when it was not safe to do so
” Open source report
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Write to and meet shoreline-adjacent organisations and businesses to explain management requirements, permission procedures and collaborative support.
Verbatim wording from the response “To help reduce the potential for this to happen in future, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-on-Sea Parish Council have agreed to take the following steps to increase public awareness of these issues:” Source location 2022-0021-Response-from-Great-Yarmouth-Borough-Council-and-Caister-On-Sea-Parish-Council_Published
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Run a social media campaign promoting the shoreline management plan and discouraging independent activity.
Verbatim wording from the response “To help reduce the potential for this to happen in future, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Caister-on-Sea Parish Council have agreed to take the following steps to increase public awareness of these issues:” Source location 2022-0021-Response-from-Great-Yarmouth-Borough-Council-and-Caister-On-Sea-Parish-Council_Published
Open published response
Pin
Request correction
Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations