Dead man's father slams rescue bid

The father of a man who died after he got stuck in a drain during floods has slammed fire services, claiming the rescue bid was botched.

Mike Barnett, 28, became stuck in neck-high water when he got his foot caught in a makeshift metal grille in a storm drain behind the tropical fish importers where he worked, at Astral Close in Hessle, near Hull.

He died of hypothermia after a four-hour rescue attempt on June 25.

Mr Barnett's father, also called Michael, has asked why rescuers did not break or amputate his leg in order to free him. It is reported a police investigation has been launched.

Last week, Geoffrey Claxton, whose son, Andrew, runs Kingston Koi Company where Mr Barnett worked, expressed concern at how the emergency services reacted to the rescue.

He said: "It was quite a while before the firemen came. He was getting weaker and weaker. They didn't have a clue how to get him out. All they needed was a chain and a Land Rover and that would have pulled him out."

Mr Barnett Snr, a retired panel beater, said he was turned away by police at the scene but would have told emergency crews to amputate his son's limb if it meant they could free him. He said: "I would have said do it. Do anything."

He returned home, switched on his television and immediately learned of his son's death. He said: "The television said 'Young man trapped in drain has died'. I just turned the telly off. I didn't want to believe it, but I suppose I knew I had lost him."

He added: "I wish I had been allowed to help. I would have got him out. I would have done anything to save him. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near and now I will never see him again."

He added: "It has taken me 11 years to get over the death of his mother. What am I going to do without him?"

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