Harvey Tyrrell: Mum calls for tougher pub safety regulations

Harvey Tyrell died in September 2018 after he was electrocuted in a pub garden

The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted in an east London beer garden has called for pubs to face tougher safety regulations.

Harvey Tyrell died after he touched a defective garden light at the King Harold pub in Romford in 2018.

An investigation found several defects at the venue posed a risk of injury and two men were jailed.

Danielle Jones said she would "love it" if pubs had to undergo an annual safety inspection.

Currently commercial venues like pubs are required to have an electric installation condition report every five years, but Ms Jones believes checks should be made more often.

"I would love it to be an annual inspection and if they haven't got that in place they shouldn't be allowed to open their doors to the public or sell alcohol," she said

• Pub owner jailed over boy's electrocution death

• Boy, 7, died after touching 'defective' lights

• Harvey Tyrrell death: Electrician denies pub was a 'death trap'

Ms Jones set up a petition in 2021 as part of her campaign for tougher regulations, which has received over 50,000 signatures.

She also revealed that since her son's death she had been approached by another mother who told her that her two-year-old son had recently received an electric shock at a pub.

"Thankfully he's OK but he was left with marks on his hands, again it was outdoor lighting… and it made me think there is something that needs change," she said.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which is responsible for this type of legislation, said it was "very sorry to hear about this sad case".

However, a spokesperson said that, while all building regulations are "under review", there were no plans to amend them.

An investigation found 12 defects at the King Harold which posed a risk of injury including electric shock

In April 2021, the owner of the King Harold pub, David Bearman, was sentenced to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and to stealing electricity from an unmetered supply.

The electrician he employed, Colin Naylor, was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter but jailed for one year having been found guilty of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Speaking about the ongoing impact of her son's death, Ms Jones said: "We never thought that we'd go for dinner as a family of three and then come home without our son.

"You know they say time heals but it gets harder and harder every single year… it's so hard to live every minute of every day without him because he was such a big part of our family."

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