The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted in a pub beer garden has urged hospitality venues to check their outdoor equipment is safe.
Harvey Tyrrell suffered a fatal shock at a pub in Harold Wood, Essex, in September 2018 after he touched unsafe lighting in the garden.
The pub’s owner David Bearman was jailed for nine years in 2021 for the manslaughter of Harvey, with judge Martyn Zeidman saying Bearman had “put your love of money over the safety of your clientele”.
Bearman’s brother-in-law Colin Naylor installed lights that had significant defects, including a lack of appropriate insulation to prevent water getting in.
Harvey’s mother Danielle Jones, 34, has now called on pubs, restaurants, and other hospitality venues to ensure all electrical installations and equipment in outdoor spaces are safe as temperatures rise over summer.
Ms Jones said: “People who run pubs and other hospitality venues should regularly check their electrics, especially as pub beer gardens are getting busier at this time of the year.
“I’m still hearing of other incidents involving unsafe electrics in pubs and this needs to stop – I don’t want any other family to go through what happened to us.
“Harvey was such a beautiful little soul, a cheeky chappie and one of a kind and what sadly happened to him could have been prevented.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national workplace regulator, says venues should arrange for a competent person to carry out electrical installation work, only using lights and heaters specifically designed for outdoor use, and regularly checking equipment for damage or water ingress.
A Public Houses (Electrical Safety) Bill was proposed in Parliament by Romford Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell in 2021, but is yet to have its second reading in the House of Commons.
Under the legislation, pub owners would need to get electrical systems checked a minimum of every five years and local authorities would act as an auditor and ensure businesses are complying.
Mark Dawson, HSE’s head of local authority and safety unit, said: “The hospitality sector will be looking forward to a busy summer period. Those responsible for outdoor spaces need to make sure electrical equipment is in good condition, safe to use and regularly checked.”
There were an estimated 27,000 pubs across the UK that had beer gardens in 2020, according to data from the British Beer & Pub Association.
