A jet-ski accident like the one which killed teenager Faye Grundy could not be repeated at the watersports centre where she died, safety experts said today, writes Andrew Ffrench.

Faye died a week after her 17th birthday two years ago when a jet-ski driven by her uncle was run over by a powerboat.

The teenager had gone to Queenford Lake watersports centre in Berinsfield in August, 1997, to celebrate her sister Gemma's 15th birthday. On Monday, a jury at Northampton Crown Court decided that brothers Stuart and Michael Ely had failed to make sure the centre was safe for its users. Environmental health officers for South Oxfordshire District Council, which carried out its last inspection at the centre in April, said a number of significant improvements had been made - including the construction of an earth barrier to partition the lake into different sections.

On the day Faye died, just a line of buoys separated the jet-ski zone from the part of the lake reserved for power boats.

Faye's uncle Tony Gee had never been on a jet-ski before and accidentally crossed the line of buoys.

Jon Payne, assistant environmental health manager for the council, said: "A large partition has now been built and this will ensure that a similar accident could never occur. "We will now get in touch with marine organisations across the country to make sure that vital lessons have been learned from this case."

The company has also reviewed the training it gives to users of the lake.

Mr Payne added: "There are a whole host of risks associated with watersports and we asked the proprietors to undertake a risk assessment for anyone using the lake. This means that a large number of safety issues have now been reviewed."

He hoped another council inspection would take place before the summer season. The council's environmental health manager, Gary Vail, said: "We welcome the improvements made there and to the best of my knowledge they are adequate."

He defended the decision to prosecute the men under health and safety regulations and not the more serious corporate manslaughter charge.

Mr Vail said: "The council is the enforcing authority for health and safety and after reviewing the incident and what had contributed to that fatal accident, we thought it appropriate to prosecute both the individuals and the company under health and safety."

However, Ron Ely, the father of Michael and Stuart Ely, said: "The plain facts of the matter are that Queenford Lake has been run in as safe and responsible a manner as it was possible to do." *Friends and relatives of Faye Grundy will gather on Sunday to unveil a memorial to the 17-year-old schoolgirl who died in the Queenford Lake tragedy.

After her death mourners donated more than £5,000 to a memorial fund and a shelter was built near her home in Benson, near Wallingford.

It has been erected on the Sunnyside recreation ground and is designed to be used by young people in the village as a place to meet.

It will be dedicated by Faye's mother, Mandy Jones. Mrs Jones, of Crown Lane, Benson, urged as many people as possible to attend the short ceremony.

She said: "The shelter was the idea of Fay's friends, and she would have loved it. I hope others will take comfort from it."

A memorial plaque on the shelter will be unveiled at 2pm on Sunday.

Story date: Wednesday 01 December

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