Girl, 13, crushed to death by boulder as she played with friends in quarry

A star schoolgirl was crushed to death by a huge boulder as she played in a quarry with friends, an inquest heard.

Amber Worth, 13, was trying to hop from one boulder to another when she slipped into a crevice and the half-ton stone fell on her.

She was crushed to death instantly and her friends tried in vain to move the 3ft-long block.

An inquest was told there was no fence to prevent the four girls and two boys, all aged 13, from entering Carlton Brick quarry in Grimethorpe, near Barnsley, where they had been chatting and listening to music on a pile of rocks.

Children had played in the quarry for generations, according to Detective Sergeant Brook, who investigated the death.

He told the Sheffield inquest: 'As she slipped one of the boulders was teetering on the other one and the boulder came over on top of Amber.'

The detective said she appeared to have slipped down the face of the crevice and dislodged the boulder. 'Her friends tried to move it but they didn't have a chance,' he said.

Amber, who lived at Brierley about two miles from the quarry, was described as a 'convivial, effervescent and adventurous young woman' who was popular and scored good school grades.

Friends described her as 'a truly beautiful girl'.

Police launched an inquiry with health-and-safety officials but in January the Crown Prosecution Service announced there would not be a criminal prosecution.

The inquest heard that a wire picket fence previously surrounding the quarry - where clay is extracted for brick - had been stolen, along with warning signs.

As quick as the company replaced sections, the fence was stolen again so eventually it was not replaced.

After the tragedy on April 25 last year a new, larger security fence was erected and Amber's family and friends launched an online petition calling for better security.

As details of the size of the fatal boulder were given at the inquest, her mother Kate buried her head in her hands.

The six friends had walked along a public footpath and slid down a series of steps cut into the face of the quarry.

They headed for a 'not unduly high' pile of stone which was waiting to be crushed, and climbed on the boulders to play. The group had been there for about 15 or 20 minutes when Amber died.

Mr Brook said: 'A lot of people reported playing there as children themselves. These were adults. They were aware their own children prior to this incident did play in the quarry.' Amber's friends told police they had played at the quarry a couple of times before.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Richard Noble said it was not impossible for a 13-year-old girl to dislodge such a heavy boulder, but must have been an 'issue of balance'.

He said he had inspected the quarry in 1999 and 2004 but no mention was made to him of any problem with trespassing and the HSE had not received any public complaints.

Under legislation from 2000, the site operator was responsible for a barrier to 'discourage trespass', he added.

He said he believed the pile of boulders presented a 'very low' risk but if he had been made aware of the lack of secure fencing on his visit he would have issued an improvement notice.

The hearing continues.