A Nottinghamshire mum who lost her daughter in a tragic caravan fire says she is filled with "anger and passion" as she fights to change safety laws. Natasha Broadley, 35, from Newark, has now secured a meeting with the Government and industry figures in her campaign to make it mandatory for all caravans to have smoke alarms fitted.
Louisiana Brooke Dolan died on August 23, 2021, at the age of just two, after a fire broke out in the caravan they were staying in at the Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells. An inquest into the incident earlier this year found that the caravan's boiler had not had its gas certificate renewed for five months.
But the inquest heard a fault could not be established with the boiler that the owner should have known about. Lincolnshire Police have since confirmed there will be no criminal charges and East Lindsey District Council will not be prosecuting.
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But as well as making it mandatory for smoke alarms to be fitted in caravans, Ms Broadley says legislation should also cover boiler certification and regular health and safety checks. As part of this campaign, a meeting has now been secured with industry figures and Government.
No date has been fixed for the meeting yet, but Ms Broadley said: "Fingers crossed I'll have the date for the meeting on Monday, because every day that passes is doing my head in. I want some answers, there has been a death involved so they can't not answer.
"Every day I'm still raising awareness about this, telling people if they go on holiday to take batteries with them and to make sure the certificates are up to date. You don't really think about safety when you're on holiday, because that should all fall back to the owner."
Newark MP Robert Jenrick has been working to secure the meeting, which will be attended by crime, policing and fire minister Chris Philp. Representatives from the British Holidays and Home Park Association and the National Caravan Council will also be at the meeting.
Ms Broadley was staying in the caravan with her four children when the fire took place, with she and her three elder children surviving. Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service for Louisiana in Newark in September 2021.
Natasha Broadley added: "The law is there for hotels and houses and I'm just flabbergasted that there isn't the same for caravans, because they burn down much quicker.
"Smoke alarms need to be the number one requirement for caravans. There is so much anger and passion inside me because I could have got all my family out."
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