Volunteer died cutting grass as councils rowed about whose job it was

Volunteer coastguard, 74, died in fall when trimming grass at seaside after councils failed to agree whose job it was

  • Volunteer Tony Rode suffered fatal head injuries after he fell onto concrete path
  • The 74-year-old coastguard was cutting the grass as it obstructed his view of sea
  • Great Yarmouth Borough Council argued land belongs to the parish council who in turn said wall is part of sea defence so is the borough council’s responsibility 
  • Senior coroner Jaqueline Lake has called for councils to solve ownership dispute

A volunteer coastguard died from a head injury after he fell onto a concrete path while cutting a disputed patch of grass while councils rowed over whose job it was to look after it.  

Coastwatch volunteer Tony Rode, 74, suffered fatal brain injuries after falling three feet onto a path after he was forced to cut the grass as it was blocking his view of beachgoers in Caister, Norfolk.

Now, the county’s most senior coroner has told councillors to settle their spat over who is responsible for the upkeep of the disputed patch of grass.

Jacqueline Lake warned that future deaths could occur if councillors don’t reach a compromise.

Father-of-one Tony was keeping watch over beachgoers on July 24 last year when he decided to use a strimmer to cut back the grass as it was obscuring his view while he was sat in the National Coastwatch trailer for his duty that day.

But the retired retail manager fell from a three-foot sandbank onto the path below and suffered fatal head injuries.

Coastwatch volunteer Tony Rode (pictured with wife Sally) suffered fatal brain injuries after falling onto a path after he was forced to cut the grass as it was blocking his view of the sea

His widow Sally Rode, 70, said that Tony ‘just wanted to help people’ and has urged councillors to end their dispute.

Sally said: ‘What really irks me now is there’s an opportunity to do some work to prevent further deaths and yet councillors seem to be blaming each other.

‘It doesn’t do good to Tony’s memory to have this going on.’

Caister Parish Council claims that the borough council is responsible for upkeep as the bank is part of sea defences.

But Great Yarmouth Borough Council says the land belongs to the parish council.

Senior coroner Ms Lake has given both councils until March 21 to agree on who will cut the disputed patch of grass.

Sally, who was married to Tony for 29 years, said: ‘There’s potential here to prevent a further accident. I want to see them sit at a table and work out a compromise.

‘It would be a super memorial to him if they got their act together and got it sorted.’

Mr Rode (pictured) had been a volunteer for six years with the National Coastwatch Institution

Tony, from Mundford, Norfolk, had volunteered for six years at the National Coastwatch Institution – a charity that provides a visual watch along the UK’s coasts.

He did a 100-mile trip to volunteer in Caister-on-Sea every Saturday as he had enjoyed childhood holidays there, Sally said.

Sally said: ‘All he was concerned about when it happened was cutting the grass because it was impeding the view of the water.

‘Tony didn’t realise the potential danger I’m sure, he was just doing his job.

‘He didn’t know about the row. Tony wanted to do his job and help people.’

Fellow volunteers described Tony as a ‘valued and proactive member of the team’ in a tribute last year.

The Caister Coastwatch station – a small blue trailer – is located at the end of a car park around 50 metres from the sea, which is separated by sand dunes and the beach.

Linda Lawrence, a volunteer at the station, said the grass had been obstructing the view of the beach.

Pictured: The Coastwatch trailer (bottom right) with the grass bank Tony Rode fell from

She said: ‘The grass was growing. It was obstructing the view of the beach.

‘I didn’t know there was a dispute about this. It was just so unfortunate that day Tony decided to trim the grass.

‘No one asked him to do it but that’s what he did.’

In a report dated January 25, coroner Ms Lake warned that the untended grass left Coastwatch volunteers ‘unable to properly carry out their role’.

Ms Lake wrote: ‘Neither organisation has taken responsibility for this section of coastline and the grass on the dunes has grown to such a height as to obscure the view of the Coastwatch volunteers along the beach.

‘Accordingly, the Coastwatch volunteers are unable to properly carry out their role to provide the ‘eyes and ears’ along the coast and to assist in the protection and preservation of life at sea and along the coastline.

‘In addition, in this case, it has resulted in a volunteer making the decision to cut the grass himself in circumstances when it was not safe to do so..’

A spokesperson for Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: ‘We offer our condolences to Mr Rode’s family, and we pay tribute to his dedication in helping watch over Caister beach.

‘Coastal land ownership can be very complex as much of the land has never been formally registered.

‘However, we take on board the coroner’s comments and we will be carefully reviewing the situation so that, alongside Caister Parish Council, we can take appropriate steps to improve safety in this area.’

Caister Parish Council was contacted for comment.

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