Council failures 'contributed to death of couple'

Elaine and Philip Marco had been on their way home from their son's birthday party when they died

Council officers "failed to appreciate the risk to life" on a Liverpool road where a married couple drowned in a flash-flood, a coroner has concluded.

The section of Queens Drive in Mossley Hill had been prone to flooding for decades before Philip and Elaine Marco died in 2023 - but Liverpool Council did not install warning signs or barriers until after their deaths.

A five-day inquest at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool heard Mr Marco, 77, had been seen trying to carry his 76-year-old wife out of danger before disappearing under the water.

Council chief executive Andrew Lewis said "substantial work" had been carried out at the site to reduce the risks caused by future flooding.

But the Marco family criticised the authority for "accepting no responsibility" for the deaths of their parents, which they said had "only deepened our grief".

They highlighted the fact that there had been four previous flooding incidents on the same section of the road, which dips under a railway bridge, in less than three months before their deaths on 26 August 2023.

Cars had been trapped in the water during those incidents and emergency services had been called out to rescue the occupants.

The couple's daughter, Sarah Weinberg, said after the hearing: "Not a single moment passes without us thinking of them and feeling the weight of their absence.

"What makes this even harder is knowing that their deaths were completely avoidable. Liverpool City Council carries the ultimate responsibility for this."

Andre Rebello, senior coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, had said the medical cause of death for both victims was drowning.

Recording a conclusion of death by misadventure, he said the engine of the couple's Mercedes car had been flooded within moments of it hitting the water at 21:23 BST, causing it to seize.

"The rain had then overwhelmed the gullies and combined sewer, flooding the road and submerging vehicle; in part caused by the absence of flood warning signage and a failure of the risk to life being recognised," he added.

Mr Rebello said "heroic" firefighters from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service had "risked their lives" trying to rescue the couple after their car hit the 12-15ft deep flood.

Witnesses described the floodwater as "like a torrent"

Mrs Marco's body was recovered after a drone detected a heat signature, while Mr Marco's body was found as the water began to recede at around 22:30.

The couple, who had been driving home from their son's 40th birthday party, were days away from their 54th wedding anniversary.

Senior firefighter Neil Mooney had said undercurrents in the water had knocked his colleagues off their feet, comparing it to "the River Mersey on a stormy night".

During the inquest, the council had accepted it had attended a meeting with engineers from United Utilities on 15 August 2023, which led to a report into the causes of the flooding being commissioned.

However it had claimed in a statement that its officers had believed the report was triggered due to "flooding to a critical highway" rather than due to any risk to life.

The floodwaters receded relatively quickly after hitting a maximum height

However Mr Rebello said he preferred the evidence, produced by United Utilities, contained in contemporaneous notes made at the meeting, which said the report was being commissioned "through the risk to life element".

The inquest had heard the council had already planned to install permanent warning signs and ordered them in July 2023.

However they still had not been installed by the time of the Marco's deaths in August.

Signage, sensors and flood barriers were installed in the months after they died.

Mr Rebello said: "The delay in introducing signage and barriers is found to be a failure, as such measures are likely to forewarn drivers of the risks, including the risk to life."

Speaking after the inquest, council chief executive Mr Lewis said he had previously "given my personal assurance to the family that the Council remains fully committed to maintaining openness and transparency in all matters related to this tragedy."