Ambulances trying to rescue Nick Cave's son Arthur blocked by locked gate, says report

The lock has since been replaced with a digital keypad for future access

Nick and Arthur Cave

Ambulances trying to save the life of Nick Cave's 15-year-old son Arthur were delayed by twenty minutes due to a locked gate.

Road ambulances were prevented from reaching the scene due to a locked gate near Ovingdean Gap in Brighton, East Sussex.

According to The Sunday Times, a paramedic ran to a nearby hotel in the hope of finding a key to unlock the gate, only for the hotel to tell them they had been ringing the ambulance service for 18 months to say they didn’t have a key.

Following unsuccessful attempts to break the lock with bolt cutters, two paramedics headed to the scene on bikes with their equipment to treat 15-year-old Arthur.

The vehicles joined the scene 20 minutes later after a lifeguard arrived with a key.

He was eventually rushed to hospital in an air ambulance after walkers tried to revive him, but he could not be saved. He died at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

Brighton & Hove City Council told The Times that it understood there was a 'minimal delay' due to the locked gate.

"We have taken steps to improve gate access for emergency services, including installing combination code key boxes," the spokesman added.

In a statement released after Arthur’s death, Nick and his wife Susie said: “Our son Arthur died on Tuesday evening. He was our beautiful, happy loving boy.

"We ask that we be given the privacy our family needs to grieve at this difficult time."