Beach death: Witnesses heard loud bang before trampoline apparently burst

A three-year-old girl died after she was thrown from an inflatable trampoline while at the beach with her mother.

Norfolk Police said witnesses reported hearing a "loud bang" before the inflatable "apparently burst" at Gorleston-on-Sea on Sunday morning.

The girl, who has not been named by police, later died in hospital.

She was visiting the area with her family from Suffolk.

Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow, Essex - where seven-year-old Summer Grant was killed when a bouncy castle blew free from its moorings in 2016 - wanted politicians to consider a temporary ban on inflatables in public spaces.

His request for an urgent question in the House of Commons was not granted.

Mr Halfon said he was "disappointed" but would table a Commons motion about it.

Downing Street described the incident as a "terrible accident".

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It is a terrible accident and a tragic loss of life.

"HSE are looking into it, they are the right people to do so. We need to wait for that investigation to be completed."

Superintendent Roger Wiltshire, of Norfolk Police, said the incident was "just unimaginable".

"I'm a dad myself and you just can't imagine what they would be going through," he said.

"You come to a seaside town like Great Yarmouth and Gorleston for a day out don't you and as a dad, you know, we've spent many hours standing by a bouncy castle watching the kids jump up and down."

He said the attraction was licensed, and the local authority was conducting checks on others following the incident.

A police cordon is likely to remain in place until Tuesday evening while a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and local council continues.

Tributes including teddy bears and bunches of flowers have been piling up against a metal perimeter fence encircling an area of the beach where the deflated inflatable was still in place on Monday.

One tribute read: "Taken too soon. Thinking of all your family. Such a sad loss. Sleep tight angel."

A second said: "Rest in paradise little one X"

A Home Office post-mortem examination was due to take place on Monday to determine the cause of the girl's death.

Any witnesses to the Gorleston incident who have not yet spoken to the police, or anyone who may have captured the incident on their phone or camera, is asked to call Norfolk Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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