A MOTHER who drowned in a boating tragedy could have been saved if rescue services had responded faster, it has been claimed.

Forty-five-year-old Jane Turner died on Saturday after the 23ft cabin cruiser she was on board with 15 friends sank near the entrance to Stourport Marina on the River Severn.

The skipper of the boat closest to the stricken Sweetie Pie - who did not want to be named - tried to contact a Severn Area Rescue Association inflatable by radio before the cruiser sank shortly after 10pm on carnival day.

"This could have been a very easily preventable incident," he said. "Initially my mayday call was sent out to the SARA rescue boat.

"That call was never answered."

He added: "I then gave a general mayday call for all boats to contact the emergency services and offer any assistance they could.

"That was answered but I don't believe it was the SARA boat that answered it."

Alan Stanley, the helmsman of the SARA inflatable, which was the carnival river safety vessel, said he and his colleague had finished for the day as the tragedy unfolded.

Mr Stanley - also the executive chairman of the charity which provides rescue services on the River Severn - admitted the hand-held radios on board were not receiving the emergency marine channel but added the association did not automatically tune in to this frequency.

But he said the radios had been in the bow of the boat and, even if the call had come through, the noise of the engine would have made it inaudible.

And the batteries may even have been flat, he conceded.

The SARA boat was making its way to the marina, about a mile downstream of Stourport bridge, after the firework display when it came across scenes of "pandemonium" as the Sweetie Pie lay partially submerged on its side.

The man who raised the alarm - whose boat was about 20 yards downstream of the cruiser - was at the scene within three minutes of it going down - and slammed the SARA crew as being "no more than spectators" as boaters hauled partygoers out of the water and desperately searched for anyone trapped in the cabin.

He said: "The SARA boat had arrived in this time but, to the best of my knowledge or anyone else I know involved in the operation, they took no action and gave no advice. They sat there in that boat and watched."

And he said the crew did not take any stranded passengers back to the bank and added even though they were wearing fully waterproof dry suits neither "made any attempt to approach the sunken vessel".

When the body of the woman was spotted in the cabin after about 20 minutes the SARA boat had no tools to break a window to recover her, the man claimed.

He went on to say the SARA crew - who had spoken to people on board the Sweetie Pie at about 9.30pm after carnival river parade organisers expressed concern it was overloaded - should have escorted the doomed craft back to the marina at the time.

Mr Stanley said he offered assistance to who he believed was a police officer in charge of the rescue operation and nobody shouted for help.

He explained SARA's operating policy was crew "do not get into a water position" except "as a last resort" - and added their protective clothing included buoyancy aids which would not have allowed them to enter the submerged vessel.

Mr Stanley conceded a windlass, used for operating locks, on board his boat could have been used to break the cabin's window and admitted in hindsight he probably should have escorted the Sweetie Pie back to the marina.

But he added: "We can only deal with the situation as it was at the time."

Tribute paid to victim

THE family of Jane Turner has paid tribute to her as "wonderfully vibrant woman".

The 45-year-old tax worker from Castle Bromwich did not regain consciousness after she was pulled from the sunken Sweetie Pie on Saturday night and she was declared dead at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester.

Her son James, 20, and partner Nick John said: "We are truly devastated by the loss of Jane, a wonderfully vibrant woman who had many, many friends."

The other 15 people on the boat, many of whom also worked for the Inland Revenue, were treated at Kidderminster Hospital for shock and minor injuries.

There was one teenager on board.

Two women and a man were arrested in connection with the accident and have been released on bail until November 30.

An inquest into Mrs Turner's death is due to open next week.

People who witnessed the accident should contact Kidderminster Police on 08457 444888.

Warnings 'must be enforced'

OFFICIALS with the power to remove people from the "overloaded" party boat should have been on hand during the carnival, it has been claimed.

The commodore of Stourport Yacht Club, which organises the afternoon and evening river parades, said the Severn Area Rescue Association inflatable on duty could only advise the Sweetie Pie to offload passengers.

The 23ft cabin cruiser - which was carrying 16 people on a private party - was warned at about 9.30pm it was overloaded, said Pete Howells.

But he added the advice was ignored and claimed British Waterways should have been there to take action.

The authority controls this part of the River Severn together with the police, although the West Mercia force has no launches.

"In previous years we have had a Waterways patrol officer around. They would certainly have had the authority to remove people," said Mr Howells.

"In future years we will be asking Waterways a lot more harshly to provide a police presence - somebody that can act on obvious offences."

Mr Howells added a British Waterways launch was moored in the basin all weekend and there was no sign of a patrol officer.

Carnival committee spokesman Pete Roberts expressed sympathy for the family of Jane Turner but stressed the Sweetie Pie was not part of either the afternoon or evening river parades and therefore was not covered by safety precautions.

"All boats are given safety certificates and safety advice before you get on the boat. You have to have ship-to-shore radios and have to have lifejackets. Unless you've got these you don't enter," he said.

"We've got no control over anybody who's not in it."

Tony Harvey, waterway manager at British Waterways, said a patrol officer had been present at the event - but declined to say whether a launch was available. He did not comment on the powers British Waterways have but added arrangements for next year's carnival were being looked at.