Thousands of residents have called for the installation of safety barriers along Manchester’s canals following the tragic death of 19-year-old student Charlie Pope.
The petition on Change.org has called for action from the council and several private companies, including Peel Group, to prevent avoidable deaths by putting up these canalside barriers.
The online campaign is gathering support from across Greater Manchester – including Salford – and was set up following the death of the 19-year-old University of Manchester student.
Mr Pope went missing after a night out in the city centre in the early hours of last Thursday morning, and underwater divers found a body in the Rochdale Canal, just off Whitworth Street West, on Friday.
More than 15,000 signatures have been secured, out of a target of 25,000, including the friends and family of Mr Pope, and families across the region affected by similar tragedies.
Some pointed out the tragically high number of people to have died in the Manchester canals in recent years as their reasons for signing, while others pointed to the dangerously slippy conditions on the canal sides in bad weather.
Rhoda Smyth said of her reason for signing: “Too many people have died . Safety railings are needed to prevent more lives being lost.”
Paul Wilson explained his reasoning for signing was to help protect young revelers in the city’s nighttime hotspots.
“More needs to be done to prevent the unnecessary deaths of young people. Water and alcohol are a lethal combination, so even if barriers are only installed near the pubs and bars it will make a difference.”
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