Toddler's pond death 'accidental'

Matthew Marsden died on the first day of his family holiday

A verdict of accidental death has been recorded on a two-year-old boy who drowned after falling into a duck pond just 18 inches deep at a caravan park.

Matthew Marsden, from Buckley in Flintshire, was on a family holiday near Porthmadog when he wandered off from their caravan last August.

The inquest at Caernarfon heard how Philip Marsden jumped into the pond and frantically tried to save his son.

But it was already too late and Matthew died later in hospital.

The family, including Matthew's baby brother Alex, were on the first day of their holiday at the caravan park when the tragedy happened.

Matthew's parents said they had not realise the pond was there

His mother, Tracey, told the hearing how she had gone to a neighbouring caravan to return something she had bothered when Matthew disappeared in a "split second".

The inquest heard a written statement from 11-year-old holidaymaker Haydn Westhead, who saw two little boys chasing a duck shortly before the tragedy.

After a frantic search, Mr Marsden found his young son floating face down in a duck pond, which was just 18 inches deep.

The pond was surrounded by a foot high fence but Mr Marsden said he just jumped in and got hold of Matthew by the arm and tried to get him out of the water.

He called for help from passers-by and staff at the park and an off-duty firefighter tried to resuscitate the toddler. He was flown by air ambulance to hospital in Bangor but later died.

Mrs Marsden told the inquest that when she and her husband realised their son had disappeared they panicked and ran first of all to check the nearby road.

You just don't like going up to other people's children, so I carried on. I wish I hadn't. Holidaymaker Marion Kendall

She said they had checked what they thought were all the dangerous places on the site when they arrived, but they had not known the pond was there.

Mrs Marsden broke down in tears as she recalled seeing her husband trying to revive their son, saying at first she thought he was in a fight with another man.

It also heard evidence from Marion Kendall, a holidaymaker who saw a young boy standing alone by the pond, but assumed him to be with other adults nearby.

She wiped away tears as she said: "With hindsight, I wish I had gone with my gut instinct to go over and check he was all right.

"But people were having breakfast on the veranda opposite the pond and I assumed he would be with them.

"You just don't like going up to other people's children, so I carried on. I wish I hadn't."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the coroner for north west Wales Dewi Pritchard Jones said they would probably never know how Matthew had come to fall in the pond.

Describing the death as a "tragic accident", the coroner said it was healthy and natural for youngsters to show an interest in water, and did not back calls from safety campaigners to fill in ponds.

"I can't say that I recommend that all ponds should be filled up, because they provide so much pleasure to people and to children. "I can only say that ponds can be dangerous places and people should be aware of that."