William Webb

The area in which Mr Webb fell into the canal is close to student accommodation. Whilst this is a generalisation and is by no means all students, students as a group are within the demographic of people who will attend the bars, pubs and nightclubs of Chester and become inebriated to varying degrees. Once under the influence of alcohol, or perhaps another substance, it is then not inconceivable that they then take less care/ are more willing to engage in risky behaviours. The canal is near to their accommodation, which makes it more likely that they will be in that area. Once in the water, there is currently no safety equipment which could assist someone in getting out, whether they are in accidentally or intentionally, and the distance between the water level and the ground edge (the freeboard) is, in my view, such that it would be difficult to get out without assistance. There is also no signage nearby which alerts people to the potential risks. I heard varying evidence as to the depth of the water, with the police describing it as around 5ft, and the Canal and River Trust indicating it was around 1 metre.