A coroner has expressed their concerns after a woman died falling into a marina near Reading last year.

An inquest was held into the death of Catherine Forbes at Oxford’s Coroners Court this year by senior coroner Darren Salter.

It was heard that Ms Forbes, who was 57, drowned after falling into the Thames and Kennet Marina on March 31 last year.

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Mr Salter has expressed concerns towards the marina’s safety as Ms Forbes is the third person to die in the area since 2016.

He has written a Preventing Future Deaths Report addressed to The Yacht Harbour Association Ltd who own the marina.

During the inquest on April 10 this year, it was heard that Ms Forbes, a teacher, was a resident in her boat at the marina.

On March 31, 2023, she had been to the Marina bar and was drinking with friends. She left at 11.12pm and walked back to her boat alone in heavy rain and winds. The inquest heard she was ‘moderately intoxicated’.

Senior coroner Darren Salter said Miss Forbes had then fallen in and was unable to get out and he ruled her death as an accident.

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She was discovered the following morning and police launched an investigation. A 61-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but later released with no further action.

A subsequent post mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was drowning.

The drowning was unwitnessed but Ms Forbes was said to be a strong swimmer and there is ‘clear evidence’ that she swam to a nearby ladder and tried to use it to climb out, Mr Salter stated.

He added that Ms Forbes appeared to have thrown her handbag from the water onto the pontoon ad there were marks on the toes of her boots indicative of her trying to get out.

The ladder at the marina 1.5m in length with three rungs in the water but the bottom rung extends no more than 600mm beneath the surface of the water.

Mr Salter said: “It would have required Ms Forbes to raise her legs up high and have the necessary strength to pull herself up.

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“It appears that, sadly, she was unable to do so before succumbing to the cold and drowning.”

Mr Salter has now written to the marina about safety improvements. He welcomed the marina already upgrading ladders to 2m in length with a minimum of 1m beneath the water. 

He added that further issues are the number, placement and visibility of ladders and whether flotation devices could be made easily accessible.