Council ‘failed to act on floods until Liverpool couple died’

A council highways boss has said that “regretfully” it took fatalities for action to be taken on a road where a couple drowned after their car became trapped in devastating flood water.

Philip Marco, 77, and Elaine Marco, 76, died after a deluge of heavy rain caused flash flooding on a section of Queens Drive in Liverpool on 26 August 2023.

Rainfall levels on the night were likened to those of a “monsoon”, an inquest into their deaths heard.

Andy Bithell, Liverpool City Council’s head of highways management, said the authority did not consider there was a risk to life based on the information available at the time.

Mr Bithell, who was appointed to the role in January 2024, said about 80mm of rain fell in one hour on 26 August 2023, which was “monsoon level rain”.

He told the inquest at Liverpool’s Gerard Majella courthouse that Environment Agency data recorded intense rainfall between 20:00 and 21:00 BST that night.

The Mercedes car belonging to Philip and Elaine Marco became “hydrolocked”, meaning its engine seized due to floodwater getting in.

Emergency calls were at about 21:15, not long after the couple had dropped off their son at home following a family get together.

On the night the Marcos died, a yellow weather warning for rain was issued by the Met Office but Mr Bithell said this did not always result in a road closure.

Prior to this, four incidents of flooding occurred on Queens Drive between May and July when vehicles became stranded and people were rescued.

One occasion in June was described as “a one in 412-year event”.

Mr Bithell rejected questioning from Anthony Metzer KC, counsel for the family, regarding a potential risk to life given two previous weather warnings in June and July of that year.

He said it would not be feasible to close roads based on Met Office warnings and the council did not consider there was a risk to life based on the information available at the time of the August 2023 collision.

However, he accepted the council’s response prior to August was reactive rather than proactive and signage would have been helpful to road users as well as reducing risk.

Mr Metzer said: “It took fatalities before the council would do anything?”

Mr Bithell replied: “Regretfully, yes.”

He accepted the authority had clear knowledge of past events and public safety was at risk during previous floods.

During the four previous incidents of flooding in 2023, the council was made aware by a report in the Liverpool Echo of the first event in May, the inquest heard.

On 15 August, a meeting was held with United Utilities and the Merseyside Flood Risk Coordinator in which the water company said it had undertaken £15,000 worth of sewer cleaning around the area following a series of incidents to take out compacted silt.

A statement by Laura Gilmore, the council’s principal engineer for drainage, said United Utilities did not indicate any further issues with the sewers.

The inquest was also told Mr Marco had also attempted to gain help through his car’s SOS system.

A call was logged at 21.32 requesting fire and rescue services as the vehicle was flooded and he and Mrs Marco could not get out.

The call log showed how voice connection was lost with Mr Marco despite repeated attempts to regain them.

The inquest continues.