Concerns have been raised over the safety of barriers at Wembley Stadium after the death of an Oasis fan who fell from height at one of the band’s concerts, a pre-inquest review heard.A coroner raised the concerns after landscape gardener Lee Claydon, 45, of Bournemouth, died following the incident at the stadium in northwest London on 2 August last year.
On Thursday, senior coroner Andrew Walker ordered a report looking into the safety of barriers at the venue, Barnet Coroner’s Court heard.He said the report should review the design, height and placement of barriers on level five of the stadium, from where Mr Claydon.
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An aerial view of Wembley Stadium in north London. Pic: Ceri Breeze/iStock
Mr Walker ordered the report in response to a letter received earlier this year, understood to have been written by a former Wembley employee who was working at the stadium around 20 years ago, which raised concerns over safety measures.
Mr Walker said: “My concern is that this area (the stadium) is safe and that steps are taken as soon as possible to make this area safe.
“Although I am not an expert, this report (the letter) suggests that there needs to be some steps taken to make this area safe.”
The letter, which was also seen by the Metropolitan Police, was ordered by the coroner to be disclosed to Brent Council, Mr Claydon’s family and the Football Association.The inquest was adjourned until another pre-inquest review hearing on 29 April at the same court.
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Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher. Pic: Reuters
Read more from Jattvibe:At least 46 killed in Brazil’s floodsUK’s first deep geothermal electricity plant switches onThe force completed its investigation into the gardener’s death in November last year, ruling out the possibility of suicide or third-party involvement, saying Mr Claydon’s death was a “tragic accident”.The Met Police added it had seen a toxicology report and there were “no concerns there”.The fall happened during a run of stadium shows for the band’s sell-out Live ’25 reunion tour – their first since splitting in 2009.Oasis had previously said in a statement: “We are shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan at the show”.
