AN MP has called for a Parliamantary debate into a boat accident which claimed the lives of three members of a Leigh family.

Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh, has spoken to the two survivors of the tragedy and says a report into the incident must now be debated in the House of Commons.

Five people from Leigh were on a fishing boat when it was overturned by a huge wave on Loch Ryan, which is used by high-speed ferries to Northern Ireland.

Shaun Ridley, aged 37, of Abbey Lane, and his sons Steven, 15, and Michael, 13, all died. Mr Ridley's father Brian, aged 61, and family friend Harry Haughton, 58, survived.

The 4.6 metre-long boat sank near Lady Bay after the large wave shortcircuited the battery, stopping the bilge pump and engine from working.

Mr Haughton has blamed a ferry which left Stranraer for Belfast for the deaths. The ferry passed about 200 yards from the five boatmen, he said.

But the report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the fishing boat had been vulnerable because it was overloaded, modifications to the hull had reduced buoyancy, and its engine was poorly maintained.

The survivors have called the report a whitewash and today Mr Burnham said he believed it needed more discussion.

He said: "I am studying the report very carefully and will be meeting the family soon to discuss our next steps.

"The report identifies serious shortcomings in the safety operation from the moment the boat sank, and raises many questions about the effects on small boats of waves from high-speed and conventional ferries."