A CHRISTCHURCH boat builder has been vindicated over the death of a father and daughter on an estuary in Cornwall.

Steve Arkell, owner of Cobra Ribs, said after the tragedy that killed Nick Milligan and his daughter Emily that there was no problem with the safety cord on the boat, made by his company at Priory Industrial Park.

And now investigators have stated the driver of the speedboat did not have the kill cord attached, which is designed to stop the engine if they fall away from the steering wheel.

Steve said he was not surprised by the findings.

He said: “It’s great that it’s been cleared up instead of it hanging around. But it’s just so tragic that this has happened.

“From our point of view it’s helpful that it’s not a failure of the boat. But that’s no consolation for the family.”

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch bulletin states it remains unclear why Mr Milligan, his wife and their four children were ‘ejected’ from the boat near Padstow on Sunday, May 5.

It read: “The RHIB was fitted with a kill cord but this was not attached to the driver at the time of the accident.

“Consequently, when the driver was ejected from the boat, the kill cord did not operate to stop the engine and the RHIB continued to circle out of control, and at speed.

“As the RHIB circled, it ran over the family in the water a number of times, leading to the deaths and injuries.”

A local boatman was able to board the boat and stop it.

Mr Milligan, a BSkyB sales boss from London, died alongside his eight-year-old daughter Emily and the full investigation continues.

His wife Victoria, 39, and their children Amber, 12, Olivia, 10 and Kit, four, were also injured in the accident.