Ava-May Littleboy: Family pays tribute to three-year-old girl killed on inflatable at Norfolk beach

A three-year-old girl who died after being thrown from an inflatable trampoline on a Norfolk beach has been named by relatives as Ava-May Littleboy.

She died of her injuries in hospital after being thrown from the inflatable on Gorleston beach on Sunday morning.

"She was not your ordinary little girl, as anyone she met, she would leave a lasting impression on. Anyone that met her would not want to forget her,” her family said.

"Her infectious laugh and smile could light up even the darkest of rooms.”

Police said the young girl - who was from Suffolk - was visiting the beach with her family.

Ava-May's aunt, Laura Reid, 28, paid tribute to her on Facebook: "I will love you always and forever. Sleep tight my little angel.

"My everything, my princess! My heart is broken.”

A fundraising page has been set up asking for donations for a park bench in her memory.

On Monday it emerged that the trampoline was different to a bouncy castle as it did not have air pumped through it and was instead a sealed unit containing compressed air.

Superintendent Roger Wiltshire, of Norfolk Police, said: "Witnesses report a loud bang before the incident but we don't know at this stage what caused the trampoline to apparently burst and that's the purpose of the investigation that we will be undertaking over the next day or so."

He said it was too soon to say if the hot weather was behind the explosion, adding: ”We've got experts from all around the country coming to help us with all aspects of this investigation.”

An MP has called for bouncy castles in public areas to be temporarily banned in the wake of the accident.

Robert Halfon, the MP for Harlow in Essex, said there should be an “urgent investigation” into the regulation of the inflatables. It was in his constituency that another child, seven-year-old Summer Grant, was killed when a bouncy castle blew free from its moorings in 2016.

He said: “There should be a temporary ban on bouncy castles in public areas until we can ensure they are safe.

“These are two tragic deaths of two beautiful little children in the space of a few years and there needs to be an urgent investigation in the regulation and inspection regimes. You cannot risk a tragedy like this happening again.”

The owner of the play equipment on Gorleston's Lower Esplanade, Curt Johnson, said: "We are in complete shock and send our deepest condolences to the family.

"We are in bits and totally devastated; we can't sleep, can't eat, feel sick to the core.”

The Health and Safety Executive said it would be providing "specialist assistance" to the investigation which is being led by police and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

In the aftermath of the accident, soft toys and messages have been left against a metal perimeter fence enclosing an area of the beach close to the deflated inflatable, which was still there on Monday morning.