Tree work not done before swing death - inquest

Work was not carried out on a tree to make it easier to inspect for safety issues before a 12-year-old girl died after she fell from a rope swing, an inquest heard.

Brooke Wiggins died on 9 November, 2024 after a large branch of the beech tree in Grove Place, near the junction with Carshalton Road in Banstead, Surrey, snapped and crushed her beneath its weight.

The inquest at South London Coroner's Court heard on Friday that it was recommended the ivy be removed in May 2022 to allow for closer inspection, but this never took place.

Katherine McDonald, of Surrey County Council which maintained the tree, said the work "should" have taken place within a year of the inspection.

When asked to explain what was meant by "should", McDonald said she had received advice from tree surgeon James Wade but this did not amount to a "concrete plan".

She told the hearing the council must "juggle" competing priorities, and deliver residents the best value for money by tackling "the highest priority first".

The number of trees the council is responsible for is "in the millions, not the thousands", and it would not be possible to complete all work recommended by the team responsible for maintaining trees in the county, she added.

The inquest previously heard the council's policy was to remove rope swings from trees within seven days.

McDonald said that had she been aware of swings hanging from the tree Brooke had been swinging from, advisory notices that the council often uses would "certainly" have been considered.

After Brooke's death, the council decided to reduce the tree to a trunk, despite it being considered healthy, the inquest heard.

In a statement, read by Assistant Coroner Ivor Collett, Brooke's mother Claire Etherington called her "a smart girl with so much potential" who had "the most incredible way of lighting up every room".

The inquest is expected to conclude in May.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.