'The city council is entrusted with our safety... they failed'

THE family of Elaine and Philip Marco have said their deaths were “completely avoidable” and Liverpool Council “carries the ultimate responsibility.”

- 

Speaking outside the Liverpool and Wirral Coroner's Court at Gerard Majella Courthouse, Mr and Mrs Marco's family paid tribute to their “warm, loving and devoted" parents and grandparents.

They criticised Liverpool Council's “ongoing refusal to acknowledge responsibility for what happened” which they said “only deepened our grief.” The family said the city's position was in “stark contrast” to that of United Utilities which provided evidence that an external investigation had been prompted by a perceived risk to life in the area.

In a statement, the family said: "Over the past week, our family has sat through the evidence heard at Liverpool Coroner's Court about the tragic loss of our parents. They were warm, loving people, devoted parents and grandparents and this came through clearly in the evidence shared during the proceedings.