A coroner has ruled the death of a 12-year-old girl after she was hit by a falling branch while playing on a rope swing was an accident.

Brooke Wiggins died in November 2024 after a large tree branch in Banstead, snapped off and crushed her.

The inquest had heard Surrey County Council had failed to inspect the tree months earlier and had not carried out work that could have made inspecting safety issues easier.

But Assistant Coroner Ivor Collett dismissed the criticism and said Brooke’s death was a “shocking accident”.

Terence Herbert, SCC’s chief executive, said he extended his “sincere condolences” to Brooke’s family and friends.