Woman fell fell six floors to her death trying to clean blocked drainpipe council failed to deal with

A "treasured daughter" fell to her death from a sixth floor balcony while she was trying to clean out a blocked drain pipe that had not been fixed by a council, an inquest heard.

A coroners court heard that several tenants in the block were climbing onto balconies to unblock drainpipes die to a persistent problem that had not been dealt with.

Poplar Coroner's Court heard that Sarah McGreevy, 37, fell from her balcony at about 9.40am on June 16 this year.

Her inquest, which ended on Wednesday<November 6 2024>, concluded that she died as the result of an accident in which she sustained multiple injuries after the fall.

The court heard that a police investigation found no suspicious circumstance or third party involvement.

Sarah Bourke, HM Assistant Coroner, has since written to Hackney Borough Council in a Prevention of Future Deaths Report, which was published today, urging that it takes action to fix the drainpipes to stop any further tragedies.

Her report said: "Police officers attended the scene and noted that there was a wooden box on the balcony and Ms McGreevy’s mobile phone was on a window ledge next to the balcony.

"The phone was close to a downwards drainpipe which came from the floor of the 7th floor balcony above Ms McGreevy’s flat before diverting down the exterior wall to the block.

"The pipe had previously been repaired using heavy duty tape. Residents made police officers aware of problems with the guttering and drainpipes in the block. Police were told of residents on the fifth and sixth floors climbing onto their balconies to manually

unblock pipes, particularly following heavy rainfall.

"The Police investigation did not reveal any evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved in Ms McGreevy’s death or that she had any suicidal intent.

"Photographs taken of Ms McGreevy’s hands following her death show dirt around her fingernails consistent with undertaking a cleaning task.

"I found that it was more likely than not that Ms McGreevy had climbed onto the wooden box to clear the pipe and had accidentally fallen over the balcony."

Ms Bourke added: that she was not aware from the leaseholder of the two-bedroom flat which Ms McGreevy rented of any remedial work being carried out by the council since the death.

She added: "Several residents reported a practice of climbing onto their balconies in order to clear blocked drainpipes. This practice carries a clear risk of falls... in the absence of remedial works, the practice of residents unblocking pipes themselves is likely to continue."

A funeral notice for Ms McGreevy posted online said: "Please pray for Sarah, of Tunstall, who died suddenly whilst in London on 16th June 2024, aged 37 years.

"The treasured daughter... loving sister... a dearest niece, cousin and friend who will be truly missed who was fortified with the rites of the Holy Catholic Church R.I.P on whose soul sweet Jesus have mercy."

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: "This is a tragic case and our thoughts are with the friends and family of Sarah McGreevy.

“The Coroner has detailed a number of issues for us to consider in her Prevention of Future Deaths Report.

“We do not expect anyone living in a Hackney Council home to clean their own guttering and like the Coroner we want to ensure an incident like this doesn’t happen again. We will be carefully going through the report and responding as quickly as possible.”