Woman fell six storeys to her death 'trying to unblock a drainpipe'

A woman plunged to her death from the sixth floor of a tower block after leaning over her balcony to try and unblock a clogged drain.

Sarah McGreevy, 37, fell over the balcony of her flat in Hackney, east London, after clambering onto a wooden box to reach the congested pipe.

She accidentally fell while trying to repair the plastic pipe which ran beneath the top of the seventh-floor balcony and along an exterior wall.

Her inquest was told how residents in the council-owned block had resorted to climbing onto balconies to manually unblock pipes.

Ms McGreevy, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Satffordshire, sustained fatal injuries when she fell from the rented two-bedroom property on June 16. 

Police officers discovered a wooden box on the balcony and Ms McGreevy's mobile phone on a window ledge next to the balcony.

Inner north London coroner Sarah Bourke said: 'The phone was close to a downwards drainpipe which came from the floor of the 7th floor balcony above Ms McGreevy's flat before diverting down the exterior wall to the block.

'The pipe had previously been repaired using heavy duty tape. Residents made police officers aware of problems with the guttering and drainpipes in the block.

'Police were told of residents on the 5th and 6th floors climbing onto their balconies to manually unblock pipes, particularly following heavy rainfall.'

Police investigations did not reveal any evidence to suggest that Ms McGreevy had any suicidal attempt and ruled out any third-party involvement.

Mrs Bourke said photographs taken of Ms McGreevy's hands following her death showed dirt around her fingernails, 'consistent with undertaking a cleaning task'.

She said: 'I found that it was more likely than not that Ms McGreevy had climbed onto the wooden box to clear the pipe and had accidentally fallen over the balcony.'

A coroner has now urged building freeholder Hackney Council to fix the guttering issues to prevent further accidents, warning that residents would likely continue the risky practice.

In a prevention of future deaths notice, Inner north London coroner Sarah Bourke warned: 'In the absence of remedial works, the practice of residents unblocking pipes themselves is likely to continue.'

She added: 'Several residents reported a practice of climbing onto their balconies in order to clear blocked drainpipes. This practice carries a clear risk of falls.

'The leaseholder of informed me that he was not aware of any work being undertaken to the guttering or drainpipes to the block following Ms McGreevy's death

'In the absence of remedial works, the practice of residents unblocking pipes themselves is likely to continue.'

Ms McGreevy was a senior creative director with fashion brand ASOS and had lived in London for 13 years after graduating from Liverpool university.

At her funeral in Sacred Heart Catholic church in Stoke-on-Trent in July, she was remembered as a 'cherished daughter, a much-loved sister, a niece, a cousin, and a loyal friend to all'.

In a tribute read on behalf of her family, the congregation was told: 'Thirteen years working for ASOS and living in London brought Sarah to the forefront of many of your minds. Sarah met some wonderful people who became lifelong friends.

'Working her way up in the creative industry within ASOS, Sarah had the opportunity to travel the world, meeting people and experiencing different cultures that she may not have done otherwise. In particular, she enjoyed the trips to Australia and Kenya.'

The eulogy continued: 'With so many people in her life, Sarah had an inordinate skill of being able to give time to everybody in her own special way.

'Having worked in London, she always made time for all her friends, whether they were from school, university, work, or however their paths had crossed.

'She had an ability to keep in touch. She knew so many people and that's evidenced by the amount of you here today.

'As friends began to start families, their children became a very welcome part of Sarah's life too, allowing her to express that inner child yet again and share fun with anybody she came into contact with.

'Everyone's presence here today is a testament to her personality, her friendship and her love. She was an outgoing, loving person who lived every moment to its fullest.'

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: 'This is a tragic case and our thoughts are with the friends and family of Sarah McGreevy.

'The Coroner has detailed a number of issues for us to consider in her Prevention of Future Deaths Report.

'We do not expect anyone living in a Hackney Council home to clean their own guttering and like the coroner we want to ensure an incident like this doesn't happen again. We will be carefully going through the report and responding as quickly as possible.'