A PERMANENT memorial to Ponteland teenager Charlie Pope is to be installed later this year in Manchester where his body was found.

The body of the 18-year-old was discovered in the Rochdale Canal on March 2 after he disappeared on a night out on February 28. An inquest in December concluded that Charlie’s death was accidental, after drinking a ‘not insignificant’ amount of alcohol.

After the former Ponteland High School pupil’s death, his parents started the #makecharliethelast campaign to ensure safety measures were introduced. A petition calling for barriers to be installed by the the city’s waterways has received nearly 100,000 signatures.

The Manchester Water Safety Partnership commissioned an independent report in December which identified safety improvements: “These need to be addressed in a strategic way, including fencing, lighting improvements and education of routes around Manchester, particularly at night,” the report stated.

“The use of the canal areas at night, and particularly by students and younger males, needs to be addressed so that more appropriate routes and behaviours are encouraged.”