A MUM-of-five has drowned after she stepped into a weed-covered canal that she thought was grass.
The body of Jody Brown, 38, was pulled from the canal basin off Wolverhampton Street in Walsall in the early hours of May 3.
Her family have called for safety barriers to be erected around the water to stop further tragedies occurring.
Jody’s brother Paul Clarke, 42, said he had seen kids falling in a section which “looks like grass on top of the water”.
A petition started by Paul calling for barriers or safety fencing has so far attracted around 200 signatures.
A spokesperson for the Canal and River Trust (C&RT), which looks after the waterways, said it was distressed by her death.
They added the trust had contacted Walsall Council because decisions about fencing were not in the jurisdiction.
Previous warnings that weed on the water can be mistaken for grass or asphalt have been made.
Jody was described as “bubbly and outgoing,” according to her brother, and the family had been left “absolutely heartbroken”.
Paul told the BBC: “The canal is quite dangerous… I live right by it myself.
“There’s no safety barriers at all. There’s just a little bit where the bar is, but it’s still all open.
“We just want better safety measures.”
He added there were lots of pubs and restaurants around the waterfront and he previously had seen other people fall in and that there had been other deaths in the past there as well.
West Midlands Police have confirmed an unnamed woman was pulled from the canal on May 3 and that the death was not being treated as suspicious.
A number of people have fallen in the canal in the past, including a man and his son, according to the corporation.
In 2019, volunteers for the C&RT cleared 60 tonnes of weed and put up safety signs, after concerns about safety were raised.
Then in 2021 a buoy was installed as a way of warning people of the danger.
The following year though a woman who was visiting from London raised the alarm about the weeds after claiming she “just stepped in” while walking to a nearby restaurant and said she had been left traumatised.
Paul wrote: “The canal is a vital part of our community and making it safer should be a top priority.”
He said his sister had been at a hotel in the area and that there was CCTV of her walking along the canal’s edge before she fell, adding that he didn’t think she could swim.
A spokesperson for the C&RT said: “We are distressed by this tragic accident and offer our sincere condolences to Jody’s family and friends.”
They added an internal inquiry would be conducted and the trust would support the coroner.
The spokesperson said: “Our charity does not own the land around the basin, so decisions about fencing are not directly within our gift.
“However, we are committed to working in partnership and have already contacted the local council.”
The trust added that safety signs had been improved around the basin in recent years and a throw-line had been installed, as well as similar lines being given to nearby businesses.
They said though that while fencing might seem like a straightforward solution, it was actually more complex as safe access to and from the water would need to be kept for boaters and those wanting to enter the water, if a rescue was needed.
The spokesperson added that “this will be reviewed as part of our investigation.
The Sun Online had contacted Walsall Council for comment.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Jody’s family. Anyone wishing to contribute can click here.
