A father and son died in what a family member describes as a “tragic accident” in Soham.
Brian Abbs and his son Lee were on a private shoot when a straw bale fell on them, but no other details have been released.
Both men were out for the day with another family member and a friend when the accident happened.
The family member said Brian and Lee were out for the day on a “organised work-related shoot” when the incident happened. “It was a tragic accident, not as police have said an ‘industrial accident’”.
The accident happened on land owned by the business where Mr Abbs senior had worked for 45 years. He was, said the family member, “enjoying some leisure time”.
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police confirmed today that they were called to “an industrial incident at Cross Bank Drove, Soham, at about 1.50pm on Saturday (March 2).
“Two men, one in his 70s and the other in his 40s, died at the scene,” said the police spokesperson.
“The incident is non-suspicious and has been referred to the HSE.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety.
Among numerous social media tributes, one friend wrote: “What to say, it doesn’t seem real! Lee you were a legend! A genuine guy, huge smile and totally there for me lately.
“You were always there for your mates, one in a million. You’re such a sweetheart and I will miss you so much!”
The family member said they were “shocked the police were happy for the location to be added as we can’t even attend and it’s private land”.
A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “A crew from Ramsey was initially called to assist ambulance staff with an incident in Barway on Saturday. However, they were stood down and no firefighting action was required.”
