An escalator at the centre of a probe into an elderly woman's death is set to be ripped out and replaced, it has been revealed.

The news emerged as a five-strong team of safety inspectors examined the staircase at Northgate House in Basildon to try and unravel how the accident was caused.

The family of Dorothy Parker, 78, of Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, demanded an investigation after she died on April 23 from a brain haemorrhage two days after she toppled down the council-owned escalator.

Developers are now planning to turn the office block into 85 flats creating a new stair tower and lifts, replacing the escalators.

However, the Health and Safety Executive promised its investigation would still continue. It still needed to investigate whether there has been a breach of health and safety laws.

Published Monday May 31, 2004

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