Answers needed over tragic Queens Drive flood incident which led to death of married couple

A coroner has said questions must be answered in regard to a tragic incident in Mossley Hill that led to the deaths of a married couple.

Elaine and Philip Marco died on Saturday, after their vehicle was submerged in flood water on Queens Drive, and they became trapped.

Opening the inquest today (September 1) Andre Rebello, Senior Coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, said Liverpool City Council, Network Rail and United Utilities needed to answer questions, adding that wants a monthly update report from Merseyside Police, who are investigating the tragic incident.

Inquest

The court head that emergency services arrived at the scene at around 9.20 pm on Saturday and Elaine and Philip Marco were recovered and taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead - though Mr Marco was found much later than his wife.

They couple were due to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary next week and the tragedy has prompted calls for more to be done to alert drivers to the flood risk in the area.

Mr Rebello said the inquest would investigate how United Utilities maintained drainage and sewage in the area - the company said the flooding was not caused by a burst pipe. The inquest will also examine how Network Rail managed drainage from the bridge on to the road.

He added that Liverpool City Council need to answer questions about highway maintenance and ‘vigilance with regard to inclement weather’. The local authority said it has ‘committed to fully co-operating’ with the investigation and ‘is now working with other agencies to determine what happened and why, and to take any appropriate action’.

Mr Robello said: “Inquiries will need to be made with regard to the history of this road and lessons learned from previous experience, particularly from residents of the area and that will all take some time.

“It would be premature of me to identify any other interested parties whose actions or inactions might have caused or contributed to this incident. It’s very important we allow police to get on with their inquiries. If it appears there are matters that need to go into the criminal jurisdiction, then so be it.”

The inquest was adjourned and is due to resume in February.

Queens Drive closure

Queens Drive remains closed and motorists are asked to continue to avoid the area. A Traffic Regulation Order is in place, allowing the council to close the road until 6 October.