Seven injured in balcony collapse at Bovey Castle

Seven people were injured after a balcony collapsed at the five-AA-star, 60-bedroom Bovey Castle hotel in Dartmoor, Devon on Sunday afternoon.

The incident occurred when the occupants of one of 22 self-contained lodges within the hotel's 275-acre grounds held an impromptu party. The balcony, located on the first floor, was 2.6m high.

The fire service, police and paramedics attended the scene and two of the guests were treated for their injuries in hospital.

Mark Chambers, managing director of Eden Hotel Collection, the owner of Bovey Castle, said that the company was taking the incident "very seriously" and trying to understand what happened.

"Thankfully the injuries sustained were not serious. We are now taking a preventive course of action," he said.

A health and safety investigation into the accident is now under way.

Eden Hotel Collection has undertaken a £3.5m renovation of Bovey Castle since acquiring the hotel from property investment company Delancey in August 2016.

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