Water park fined £80k after girl, 11, drowned

Kyra Hill was "beautiful, courageous and happy", her father said

A water park has been fined £80,000 after an 11-year-old girl drowned while attending a birthday party.

Kyra Hill, from Croydon, south London, was found more than an hour after she went missing at Liquid Leisure, near Datchet, Berkshire, in August 2022.

The company previously pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of a member of the public.

A judge at Reading Crown Court ordered the firm to pay £30,000 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

The girl drowned in a swimming area which always had a lifeguard on duty, the water park previously said

A witness previously said between 30 and 40 people, including lifeguards and other swimmers, jumped into the water to look for the girl when she went missing on 6 August.

Emergency services were called at 15:55 BST and she was found just after 17:10, when she was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.

In a previous statement, Liquid Leisure said the incident happened in a "designated swimming area of our lake, which always has a fully trained Royal Life Saving Society lifeguard on duty".

The water park was immediately closed for investigations and was allowed to partially reopen by Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead a few months later.

Floral tributes were left outside the centre

The council, which brought the prosecution, said: “We welcome the judge’s decision to deliver a firm sentence, reflecting the seriousness of this case.

“The legal onus is on businesses to comply fully with their legal requirements in order to manage and minimise risks to their staff and customers."

Previously, Kyra's father Leonard Hill paid tribute to his "beautiful, courageous, determined, happy and loving" daughter.

He added: "She stood for what was true and right and was a natural leader."

Liquid Leisure, which offers a range of water sports at the centre, has been approached for comment.