Labour MP Rachel Maskell presented parliament with a petition to improve river safety in York last night (Wednesday).
The petition was created by York resident Jayne Reynolds, who tragically lost her niece Leah Bedford in 2023.
Leah, from Acomb, was 16 years old when she died after entering the River Ouse last September.
Leah was last caught on CCTV close to the water on Lendal Bridge, but there were no further sightings of her alive.
Her body was recovered by police divers from near Terry Avenue on 28 September 2023.
Following Leah’s death, Jayne and the family walked along the riverbank and noticed groups of teenagers drinking alcohol with friends.
They also came across people with mental health problems, and others unstable on their feet.
Due to no CCTV cameras along parts of the river, the family were told by Police that they couldn’t confirm what had happened to Leah.
Jayne and the family then campaigned for more CCTV cameras to be installed by the river.
Rachel Maskell presented the online and paper petition to the House of Commons last night, which had received 1428 signatures.
Jayne Reynolds said: “It has been a very long heart breaking year for us as a family, not knowing what happened to Leah. We were led to believe the last sighting of Leah was near the river, unfortunately we do not know anything else at this stage.
“I have been campaigning for a year to try and have my voice heard regarding the safety of our rivers as so many tragic deaths have occurred in such a short time frame. We will never have Leah back home celebrating her birthdays, Christmas or even growing into a young woman who wanted to start her career in forensic science.
“It’s with thanks to Rachael Maskell who has listened to us as a family and helped us with our petition that we may be able to save lives in the near future.”
Rachel Maskell MP said: “I can’t imagine how heartbreaking it must be for a family to lose a loved one and not know what happened to them. They will be forever wondering what happened to Leah and if CCTV cameras had been in place would they known exactly what occurred in the last minutes of her life.
“Whilst Jayne and the family know they cannot bring Leah back, they have channelled their resources into a campaign to prevent other families suffering in this way. I hope that we will see more CCTV cameras along riverbanks in York and also in other cities where there are too many river deaths.
“I was pleased to present the petition to the House of Commons last night and hope lives are saved as a result of this.”