Cockermouth: Drowned baby's bath seat became unfixed, inquest hears

Chester Mossop died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle after being found face down in the bath

A baby who drowned had been sitting in a bath seat which became unfixed, an inquest has heard.

Nine-month-old Chester Mossop died days after being found face down in the bath at his home in Cockermouth, Cumbria, on 29 May last year.

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal's report warned that bath seats could "give parents a false sense of security that their child is safe".

She said a safety alert had since been issued in the region.

There was a lack of a nationwide safety campaign on bath seats, she added.

Chester was usually "fit and well" but on the day of the accident he had been suffering from a mild viral infection, the report said.

He had been secured in a bath seat, and left unattended while a diffuser to help relieve his symptoms was being set up in another room.

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The inquest heard that it was believed the equipment was "safe and secure" but he had fallen into the water, staying there until he was discovered a short time later.

After being given immediate CPR, he was airlifted to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary where an MRI scan showed he had an unsurvivable brain injury.

He "died peacefully" four days later in his mother's arms, Ms Gomersal's report said.

Ruling a verdict of accidental death, Ms Gomersal said the child's death had not been caused by neglect or manslaughter and nobody had been blamed.

The inquest was held at Cockermouth Coroner's Court

Ms Gomersal said she was aware of similar "tragic" deaths from inquests heard by colleagues and that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) had concerns about bath seats.

She recommended to the NHS that safety advice was "distributed on a national level to healthcare professionals and to parents and carers".

She added: "I am concerned that bath seats may give parents a false sense of security that their child is safe.

"Bath seats are not safety devices".

RoSPA has previously raised concerns over bath seats, saying young children can tip over and become trapped.

In 2015, it said "distractions" could quickly lead to "tragedy" adding: "What feels like a couple of seconds can be a minute or two, which is easily enough time for significant injuries or even death to occur."

Public Health England previously said babies and young children "should never be left unattended in a bath, not even for a minute".