Retired Caerphilly teacher died in "rapidly rising floodwater" during Storm Bert, inquest told

Brian Perry was a “much-loved husband, father, brother and grandfather”

A retired teacher was caught by rapidly rising floodwaters as he took his dog for a walk, an inquest heard.

A multi-agency search was launched when 75-year-old Brian Perry was reported missing in the Conwy Valley on November 23, 2024, the day the country was hit by Storm Bert.

The search was called off when conditions became too dangerous overnight and Mr Perry’s body was found submerged under a gate the following day.

In a statement read at the hearing in Ruthin his wife Catherine said they had been staying with her sister in Trefriw, near Llanrwst, and her husband had taken their collie for a walk.

Mrs Perry, herself a former teacher, went for a run and on returning along the same lane, Gower Road, she saw a man wading through the water.

She called her husband and thought she heard a sound which she took to be him, but when she then failed to contact him she raised the alarm.

A police officer found Mr Perry’s body in deep water, and a post-mortem examination confirmed that he had drowned.

The couple lived in Porset Drive, Caerphilly, and Mrs Perry said her husband, who taught design technology, was fit and active.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said: “Having taken the dog for a walk, the speed at which the storm and flood overwhelmed him was something which he could not escape from.”

He paid tribute to the local community for their support during the search and helping the Perry family which, he said, demonstrated how much they cared.

Retired Caerphilly teacher died in “rapidly rising floodwater” during Storm Bert, inquest told

Sign-up to our daily newsletter