Missing riverside lifebuoys have been named as one of the factors which contributed to the death of Christopher Taylor in the River Avon last January.
An inquest which took place last week concluded that Taylor, a 21-year-old student from Lancashire, died from drowning when he fell into the river near Sainsbury’s.
The coroner, Maria Voisin, said that a number of factors led to his death, including the lack of lifesaving lifebuoys, the delay in police responding, the temperature, river conditions and the steepness of the bank.
Sainsbury’s is responsible for the safety equipment near to where the student died.
The inquest was told how the emergency services were hindered during the river rescue due to the missing lifebuoys along the river.
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s river safety group have now written to landowners along the stretch of the river advising them of their responsibilities.
The group are planning to install new lockable cabinets along the stretch in a bid to reduce the number of missing buoys.
The cabinets will be accessible to the public via a code requested from Avon Fire & Rescue during a 999 call.
The cabinets are expected to be installed before the summer.
Coroners recorded a separate narrative verdict for the death of Sammuel Amin, 18, who was recovered from the river at Green Park in September last year.
