A mother who plunged headfirst down a gap between sea defence boulders drowned in front of her daughter as the tide rose overhead, an inquest heard on Tuesday. Suffolk Coroner's Court was told how Saffron Cole-Nottage, 32, became stuck upside down with her legs protruding from the rocks after stumbling on a path while walking her dog, Blue.
Desperate Rescue Attempts
Her daughter, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, screamed for help after the fall at around 7.45pm on February 2 last year on the path between the rocks and the base of the promenade sea wall in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Two men and a girl who were nearby rushed to assist and tried to pull her free for approximately 15 minutes as she pleaded for help. The inquest in Ipswich heard that a girl who made a 999 call urged the ambulance service to hurry, fearing Saffron would die as the water rose.
Delay in Emergency Response
A pre-inquest hearing last June revealed a delay in dispatching firefighters. An initial 999 call was made to the East of England Ambulance Service at 7.52pm. Contact between the ambulance service and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service occurred at 8.04pm or 8.05pm, followed by a call from the Coastguard to the fire service. However, firefighters were not dispatched until 8.10pm, five minutes later. By the time they arrived, Saffron was quickly freed but already dead.
Mother-of-six Saffron had more than three times the drink-drive alcohol limit in her blood at the time of death. A post-mortem confirmed drowning, with 271mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, far exceeding the 80mg limit.
Witness Accounts
Alex Singleton-Dent, walking along the promenade with two female friends, heard a girl shouting for help. In a statement read to the inquest, he said: 'I looked over the railings and saw a girl screaming for help for her mum. I immediately ran down the slope and told my friends to call emergency services.' He used his phone torch to search the dark sea, initially expecting someone in the water, before spotting 'two legs sticking out of the rocks'. The woman's trainers had been pulled off by her daughter in rescue attempts.
Singleton-Dent said the woman initially did not speak, then asked for help. Another passer-by, Ian Jones, joined the rescue, along with a girl. 'We worked to try and get her out but we just couldn't. It felt like we were trying for ages and the emergency services didn't arrive for hours,' Singleton-Dent said. 'I knew the female had become unresponsive while the tide was coming in. I assumed she died in the rocks.'
Ian Jones described hearing a girl screaming and seeing two legs sticking out of the water. He and Singleton-Dent pulled her legs for about ten minutes but could not free her. 'She was wedged between the rocks and panicking and screaming. It was very wet and we did what we could,' he said.
A girl who was with two friends explained that she heard 'a lot of screaming' near an old lifeguard's hut and saw a young woman stuck headfirst in the rocks with her legs in the air. 'The lady was of a larger build and was well and truly wedged but we were unable to get her out. We spent around 15 minutes trying to get her out. My female friend used her phone to call emergency services,' she said. 'I recall she was shouting and screaming and asking us to help get her out. I was not conscious at first that the water was getting higher and she was in danger. I know it felt like an eternity.'
She added: 'I can't help but think that if the ambulance had got there sooner, they may have been able to do something to get her out. The water had clearly come up, submerging her head under the water. Everyone was trying their hardest to get her out. I believed I had hold of her foot when she passed away. I know my friend, during the call to the ambulance control, was telling them to get there quicker. They said she was drowning and would soon be dead. I am angry that there was not a quicker response.'
Background and Family Tributes
Saffron's partner, Mike Wheeler, said she regularly walked on the concrete apron between the sea defence boulders and the promenade since moving to Lowestoft three years earlier. On February 2, she had a Sunday roast with her father and stepmother, then played mini golf with her children before returning home. 'Although she had been drinking, she was not slurring her words and was acting normally,' he said. 'I could tell she had had something to drink but she was not unsteady on her feet.'
Saffron danced with her children for 30 minutes before taking Blue for a walk with her daughter at 7.30pm. Wheeler became worried when she did not return and heard a helicopter overhead. Saffron's stepmother, Patricia Cole, stated that Saffron drank three pints of Foster's lager during lunch at the Hatfield Hotel before heading to arcades. She later received a call from one of Saffron's children at 9.19pm informing her of the accident.
In a family statement read by Saffron's barrister, Saba Naqshbandi KC, she was described as a 'loving mother who was completely devoted to her children and gave just as much love as she received'. The statement said she met Wheeler in 2013 and had a life 'full of love and laughter' with their six children. Her children were her 'greatest joy' and her death 'left an indescribable void in the lives of her family'. 'Saff was truly one of a kind. She was full of life and had the ability to light up any room. Her heart was always open and she would do anything for anyone… To know Saff was never to forget her. She was larger than life and the life and soul of any party. She left behind not just cherished memories but wonderful children.'
Inquest Proceedings
Suffolk area coroner Darren Stewart OBE stated that the inquest would examine the events leading to Saffron becoming submerged in rocks, the emergency services' response, and whether there was a delay in rescue attempts. It will also consider signage and barriers at the location. He described Saffron as 'a much-loved partner, daughter, sister, niece, aunty, cousin and precious mother to six children' who is 'very greatly missed'. The inquest is expected to last nine days.
