The Nottinghamshire mum of a toddler who died in a fire has been to Westminster in her fight to tighten the law on caravan safety. Natasha Broadley, 35, tragically lost her daughter Louisiana Brooke-Dolan, two, when a fire broke out in their holiday caravan on Sealands Caravan Park, Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire in August 2021.
Natasha travelled to London on Tuesday, June 27, with her MP Robert Jenrick, as part of her campaign to introduce more mandatory health and safety measures for caravans. The measures would be in addition to current laws that say caravan owners should have working smoke alarms fitted and the correct boiler certification.
As the law stands, those renting out a caravan or holiday home need to follow basic fire safety precautions, such as a working smoke alarm. Ms Broadley is campaigning with Mr Jenrick's help to ensure that the regulations around this are more stringent and that owners take responsibility to ensure they are following the rules and keeping people safe.
The meeting was also attended by the Fire Minister, Chris Philip, as well as the National Caravan Council and the British Holiday and Homes Park association. Louisiana died on the evening of August 23, 2021, whilst she and her family were on holiday in Ingoldmells. Ms Broadley had gone for a shower in the caravan they were staying in, when she smelt smoke.
The mum was able to get her three eldest children out of the caravan, and then selflessly went back inside to find Louisiana. She searched for her by patting around the sofa where she was, but the smoke was dark and thick, and she wasn’t able to find her before having to throw herself out of the window.
Ms Broadley described Tuesday's meeting as going "better than expected". When asked what she hopes will happen next, the mum replied: "To get an outcome and to get justice like my daughter deserves."
On the emotional attachment of the campaign, she said: "I'm not going to lie, it's very emotional, but there's so much anger there, so I'm fighting."
An inquest in April found the fire which tragically killed the toddler started from a cupboard where the boiler had not had its gas safety certificate renewed for five months. But despite the boiler not having a renewed certificate, the coroner could not rule for certain that the boiler caused the fatal fire on Monday, August 23, 2021, at the Sealands Caravan Park.
Although Ms Broadley, of Newark, believes that the boiler is to blame, the court could not rule for certain what caused the fire. Following the incident Lincolnshire Police confirmed there would be no criminal charges, and the inquest into Louisiana's death heard how it could not be established that there was a fault with the boiler the owner should have known about. East Lindsey District Council have also since confirmed that they would also not be prosecuting.
Sealands Caravan Park has never been investigated in connection with the investigation. Following the tragedy Ms Broadley wants better awareness around fire legislation in caravans and, with Mr Jenrick's help, she hopes to strengthen the laws around fire safety to make sure all caravan owners are putting smoke alarms in their caravans. A petition she started online earlier this year has already received more than 4,200 signatures.
The Newark mum wants to make caravans safer for everyone to ensure that nobody has to go through what she and her family have suffered. Mr Jenrick said: "The law is clear that if you are renting out a caravan or any kind of holiday home you need to follow basic fire safety procedures, which includes having a working fire alarm, it also includes having a gas safety certificate.
"We had a really productive meeting just now with the Fire Minister Chris Philip, explained the circumstances and he’s undertaken to help us now to contact Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Lindsey Council to clarify what they’ve done so far and to urge them to do more."
He continued: "The second thing is we want to ensure this doesn’t happen again and that something good, some glimmer of hope comes out of this terrible tragedy and that’s why Chris Philip the Fire Minister agreed to endorse our campaign to ensure that all of those owners of caravans and chalets are doing their duty, checking their smoke alarms, checking their gas safety certificates as they are required to legally, and if we can ensure that happens then we should hopefully prevent tragedies like this from happening again in the future."
When asked how he felt when he first heard about Ms Broadley's situation, the MP replied: “It was one of the most heart-wrenching stories I’ve ever had as a constituency member of parliament. I wanted as a parent to help her to ensure she gets that justice for her child, and that’s why together we have worked to take this forward.
"We have met with the industry bodies that represent caravan owners and park owners and they have agreed to launch a campaign to disseminate information, email and write to the caravan owners. There’s clearly more to be done there so that absolutely everybody follows the law, and with the minister we have got the opportunity to elevate that and make it into a national effort."
He added: "It cannot be right that someone has just gone on holiday and found themselves in this appalling tragic situation where they have lost a child and almost died themselves as well. A national campaign by the park and caravan owners is going to be launched shortly, and that I hope will lead to a higher level of standards across the country and the minister who is going to help us push that message out as far as we can so watch this space, knowing Natasha this is just the beginning."
Dan Moss, area manager for prevention and protection at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, previously said the fire service was working with the district council on licensing and fire safety enforcement, to keep holiday homes safe.
"Anyone renting out accommodation has a responsibility to make sure their guests are safe from fire. It’s a legal requirement for landlords to carry out a fire risk assessment, including in caravans, and take measures to protect those staying there. Adequate fire safety measures, such as fire alarm systems must be provided, maintained and in working order. Landlords also need to comply with gas safety regulations which include an annual safety check for gas appliances,” he added.
