One mum-of-three who was at the Stoke-on-Trent waterpark with her husband and children said she had struggled to stay on her feet due to the strength of the current
07:56, 06 Aug 2025
A waterpark where a four-year-old girl tragically died this week had what one mum described as the "strongest wave pool" she had ever experienced.
Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the young girl at Waterworld in Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent on Monday afternoon. Staffordshire Police were called to the scene at around 4.20pm on Monday after a girl was found unconscious in the Lagoon area of its Aqua Park. She was later confirmed to have died in hospital despite the best efforts of emergency personnel.
The theme park has since closed to the public, with representatives saying it would be "incredibly difficult" to reopen, and people who were there on the day have now spoken out about what they saw.
One parent who had taken her three children to the waterpark, told The Telegraph she had never seen one with such a strong wave pool. The mum, who chose not to be named, had visited with her husband and three children, and said she had struggled herself to remain on her feet due to the "strength" of the current.
While she had visited wave pools before, she said she had "never experienced one that forceful", and decided she would remove her children from the water.
She said: "As an adult, I did not feel confident keeping my younger children safe there, and made the decision to remove them. My husband remained with our 11-year-old, who is a strong swimmer, but even he was struggling to stay above water." The mum added it was "very difficult to maintain visibility of my children", although lifeguards were posted at key sight lines.
One local said the venue had been crowded on the day of the shock incident.
A spokesperson for Waterworld said in a statement that the park is working with authorities following the distressing incident, and thanked visitors for "their support and collaboration". They said: 'It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl's passing. All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times.
"Waterworld is working closely with the authorities. All other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation underway, and we would like to thank them for their support and collaboration."