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Drowned man's family campaign for lighting by Bathampton canal

Family handout Julian MatherFamily handout
Julian Mather died when he fell into the canal

The family of a man who drowned when he fell into a canal after a night out are campaigning for solar lights to be installed along the towpath.

Julian Mather, 41, was just a few hundred metres away from his family home in Bathampton, Somerset, when he lost his footing in January last year.

His family say they want to spare other families the tragedy of losing a loved one in a similar way.

The Canal and River Trust said such incidents were rare.

Jessica Chesterton, Mr Mather's sister, said: "Julian was walking home in the dark and he fell and he couldn't get out and we believe a big reason why is because he couldn't see."

Speaking to BBC West, she said: "Julian wasn't the first person to fall in - we know another person fell in 19 years ago and lost his life, and an elderly lady fell in the water further up."

Mr Mather's family have now started a campaign called "Light my way" to persuade the Canal and River Trust to install the lights along the stretch where he fell.

Jan Hoska
Mr Mather's mother Jan has been campaigning for solar lights along the canal

His mother Jan Hoska said: "I don't want someone else to wake up on Saturday morning with police at their door saying someone has fallen in to the canal on their way home and drowned."

She added: "These lights are not intrusive, these lights are not lighting everything up so you can see everything, they just make the path a little safer."

Ms Hoska said: "Julian was really kind, it wasn't unusual for him to give food out to the homeless after a night out.

"He looked after us all, he was just a ray of sunshine."

The Canal and River Trust said it was "committed to improving safety where ever needed" and that it had an "ongoing education programme".

But it said that although the solar lights solution sounded simple, in reality it would be more complicated.

The trust added that out of millions of visitors to canals and rivers each year, an event like Mr Mather's death was "a tragic but rare incident".

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