Grieving mum calls for change in HGV legislation

Maria Dennis visited Parliament to hand over a petition

A grieving mother whose son died after being struck by an unsecured scaffolding board is calling for more measures to prevent similar incidents.

Maria Dennis' 11-year-old son, Harry, died two days after the crash, which happened when he was travelling as a passenger in his father's car in Hooe, East Sussex, on 15 December 2022.

Ms Dennis is now calling for the government to consider broadening the need for a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and operator licence to HGVs that weigh less than 3.5 tonnes (3,500kg).

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it recently met with the family and would continue to engage with those impacted to better inform its efforts.

Harry was a football fan and played for Hastings Athletic Football Club

Ms Dennis said: "I'll shout from the rooftops to get people [to] listen and think about their actions and what consequences their actions have.

"[I] feel like I need to do that [for] Harry and everybody else on the road."

She visited Parliament earlier in January and handed over a petition to get an overseeing governing body for vans that weigh less than 3.5 tonnes.

The Hastings mother said: "My conclusion is that it isn't just drivers deliberately setting out knowing their vehicles are unsafe, it is a genuine lack of training and knowledge, even from the most experienced drivers in some cases."

Following the incident, Russell Le Beau, 34, from Eastbourne, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for four years.

He had failed to secure scaffolding boards on the back of his van, according to Sussex Police.

Ms Dennis said: "[With] the amount of families that have to go through what we've been through, I'd say it's very important that we do something about it and get it changed and educate people."

A DfT spokesperson said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way."