Search for answers after woman's body found in restaurant two days after CCTV sees her entering
PLUS: Snow comes to Blackpool and plans for a new family support centre
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
We are back into our usual Wednesday-Sunday sending pattern as of today. It was a rare sight for Blackpool over the New Year period as the town woke to snow after amber weather warnings were issued by the Met Office.
That weather also meant that Christmas By The Sea’s final day was understandably cancelled on Sunday, despite looking arguably the most festive it has at any stage.
But today’s newsletter focuses on something altogether more tragic - the death of Blackpool woman Sabrina Lyttle.
We report on this a touch later than the likes of the Mail Online, The Sun, Manchester Evening News and ITV - but that means we do so with a lot more context.
We are able to report factually that Sabrina was seen entering the restaurant premises by CCTV on November 28, 2024 and we did not wish to publish without giving the business the time to provide us with a statement outlining their side of the story - which they have done.
The wait for conclusive answers, though, will continue until April when an inquest will examine what has happened to lead to her death.
Our thoughts are with her mother, Catherine, and all of her loved ones.
Woman's body found in Blackpool restaurant two days after CCTV catches her entering
By Luke Beardsworth
The body of a woman was found inside the toilets of a Blackpool restaurant two days after she was seen entering.
Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was captured by CCTV entering The Gurkha restaurant on Waterloo Road on November 28, 2024.
What happened next is less clear, but Sabrina gained entry to a disabled toilets and the restaurant claimed they did not give her access.
Then at around 1pm on November 30, 2024, police were called after the discovery of the body.
The death is not being treated as suspicious from a criminal perspective but the incident has raised questions over the level of support Sabrina was receiving and how she was able to be inside a trading restaurant for two days without being discovered.
An inquest will be held on April 3, 2025 to determine the circumstances of Sabrina’s death with the aim of providing answers for her family and loved ones.
Blackpool Council will also be investigating the incident with officers due to visit The Gurkha when it reopens after a Christmas break.
Sabrina’s mother Catherine had posted to a public Facebook group that the restaurant should be ‘ashamed’, questioned the hygiene of the restaurant, and said that multiple customers had reported the door to the toilet where Sabrina’s body was found would not open. This post appears to have been removed since.
The restaurant said posts online about the incident are ‘full of information that is not correct’ and attributed the time taken to find Sabrina’s body to ‘infrequent use’ of the disabled toilets.
A spokesperson for The Gurkha told The Blackpool Lead: “A non-customer member of the public entered the premises and asked to use the toilets. As the restaurant had already closed for the evening, directions to the pub toilets, which are in a separate area of the building, were given. Staff in the pub provided further directions to the general pub toilets and did not issue access to the disabled toilet.
“Access to the separate and locked disabled toilet is gained via staff as the facility cannot be opened with a RADAR key. The male and female toilets are deep-cleaned every morning and checked throughout the day, with the disabled toilet checked after every authorised use and cleaned as required, due to infrequent use.
“Access to the disabled toilet was not requested until Friday evening around 10pm. The staff with the assistance of other helpful pub customers were unable to unlock the door and as access had not been granted for the past 24 hours, it was reported as a maintenance issue to management. The following day on Saturday before opening, management was unable to gain access using all secure keys and removing the locking mechanism before alerting the police.
“We are aware of public posts that are full of information that is not correct, and we believe the speculations have not contributed positively to anyone affected, including the grieving family, the dedicated Gurkha staff and the community of Blackpool. We are aware of an ongoing inquest and will not be making any further public comments.”
A Blackpool Council spokesperson told The Blackpool Lead: “Our public protection team has recently been made aware of this tragic death. Once the property has reopened after its Christmas closure they will be speaking to the operator. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Sabrina Lyttle.”
A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: “We were called at shortly after 1pm on Saturday, November 30th to a report of a sudden death at an address on Waterloo Road in Blackpool.
“Officers attended and sadly the body of a woman in her 40s was found dead inside the address. Our thoughts are with her loved ones at this time.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner.”
The question of the support Sabrina received has been raised because at the start of November 2024, shortly before her death, she was sentenced to eight weeks in prison after appearing at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court.
She did not serve the full sentence and was released shortly before she came to be inside The Gurkha restaurant at the end of the same month.
When she was jailed, police declared a ‘great result’ as they continue to crackdown on shoplifting through their Operation Vulture campaign.
When tragedies occur in Blackpool, we will always do our very best to bring you the news in the most accurate way possible. That’s more important to us than telling you something first.
If you value our decision-making, please consider taking a paid subscription to The Blackpool Lead to support our work.
Site to support families in need proposed for Warbreck Hill Road
By Shelagh Parkinson
Proposals have been revealed to convert a property in Blackpool into a residential assessment centre which would provide support for families in need.
The Evergreen Care Group is seeking planning permission from the council to use a three storey house on Warbreck Hill Road for the scheme.
The property would retain the character of a family home but would be used to help struggling parents achieve the necessary skills to bring up their children.
A planning statement accompanying the application says: “The primary aim of the Family Residential Assessment Centre is to safeguard infants by evaluating parents’ skills and capabilities to care for their children.
“The centre will offer guidance to help parents develop essential care giving skills, enabling them to demonstrate their ability to provide safe and nurturing environments.”
Documents add there is “significant demand” for the service and parents would be referred to the centre either by their local authority or via a court order.
Situations where use of the centre may be required would include where children are on the child protection register; situations prompting potential care proceedings; parents facing challenges such as learning disabilities, mental health issues, or substance misuse; domestic abuse situations. expectant mothers, and parents requiring assistance in developing parenting skills.
The application adds: “The Evergreen Care Group’s registered manager,
with over a decade of experience in community health, has extensive expertise working with families, particularly those with children under five.
“This experience includes collaboration with social care and other agencies to provide necessary support to families in need.”
If it gets the go ahead, the property would accommodate up to four families,
providing them with support and guidance from a fully trained team during a 12 to 16 week assessment period.
The site has been chosen in order to meet local demand, and due to its good transport links and accessibility. The centre would be staffed around the clock, with the applicant adding it has “a zero-tolerance policy for anti-social behaviour, drug, or alcohol misuse, with violations potentially leading to termination of placements.”
The application (reference 24/0689) will now go before town hall planners for consideration at a future date.
Rare snow covering for Blackpool in early January
It never snows in Blackpool. Except it did pretty quickly in 2025.
The Met Office had issued yellow and amber warnings for snow overnight from Saturday into Sunday at the weekend with the usual caveat that areas on higher ground would be most affected.
But trams were cancelled and bus journeys cut short after Blackpool woke to snow on Sunday.
Fortunately, the drone was on hand to capture the scenes.
News in headlines 🗞️
Jury set to deliberate in case of Ryan Wellings accused of driving Kiena Dawes to suicide through abuse (The Gazette)
Pervert Blackpool barman snared by paedo hunters after talking to 'TeenChavvyLad' online (LancsLive)
Blackpool & Fylde planning applications from across the festive season awaiting a decision (The Gazette)
Thank you for reading The Blackpool Lead this week.
We will be writing to you again on Sunday with more exclusive reporting from Blackpool.
Until then, enjoy the rest of your week.